Footnotes
by BuffyL
Summary: It's a sort of spin off from The Next Chapter. I've gotten some requests to do some stories with the story, so here it is.
1. You Owe Me Dinner

YOU OWE ME DINNER

Buffy was sitting in her room staring at a book, but not really reading the words on the pages in front of her. She was thinking about Damon. She knew she should still be mad at him for what he'd done to Lexi, and a part of her was, but there was something about him…. She felt _drawn_ to him.

And damn if he wasn't a good kisser!

Buffy shook her head, but the thought of Damon kissage led to thoughts of that night after the raffle. That had been explosive! He had known exactly what to do when to do it and how….

"Ugh!" Buffy tossed the book across the room and stood up.

Her love life was already complicated enough. The last time she'd talked to Angel, they'd started to venture into the future discussion. And then Spike had come up and it had gotten touchy, so they'd dropped the conversation. Now here Damon came all dark hair and sexy eyes and confident swagger….

Speaking of Damon…. "Good afternoon." He said, standing in her doorway.

"Hey."

"Going somewhere?"

"Nope."

"You're just standing in your room, then?"

"Uh…." Buffy looked around and realized how silly she looked just standing next to her bed. She hadn't even been pacing. "Yeah."

Damon leaned down and picked up the book she'd thrown. "Did it look at you funny?"

"I wasn't reading it. I was thinking."

He smirked. "And what were you thinking about?"

"You owe me dinner." She blurted. "And drinks."

Damon swaggered over to stand right in front of her, looking down at her with his smoldering eyes. "Are you asking me out on a date?"

"No." Buffy's mouth was suddenly dry. "Just reminding you that you owe me dinner and drinks. Pay up."

"Fine."

"Fine?"

"I'll meet you downstairs later this evening and we'll go out for dinner and drinks. Wear something pretty." He turned and swaggered out. She was pretty sure he moved his backside just right so he'd draw more attention to it.

Buffy walked over and shut her door. She looked around the room and then headed for her bathroom. She showered, taking the time to shave her legs, and added some extra deep conditioner to her hair to make sure it was silky. After she got out, she lathered up some scented lotion on her skin and made sure she smelled even better. Two could play the sexy-attention-grabber game.

While her hair air dried, she went through her closet and picked out a pair of black leggings, a burgundy halter mini dress with the entire back exposed, and a pair of high heeled, black suede, slouch boots. Lexi had spoiled her when it came to clothes. Buffy now understood what all the fuss Cordelia had made was about now that she wasn't worried about ruining her clothes every night. She grabbed her knee length leather jacket and tossed it on the bed. Picking out some silver bar earrings and two long silver chains, one with a matching silver bar, she went back into the bathroom to finish her hair.

Down the hall, Damon was tearing up his closet trying to find something to wear. He didn't know what it was about Buffy, but she was the most alluring being he'd ever encountered. When he kissed her, he swore he could see sparks. He didn't know if it was because she was dangerous to his kind…. After all, she was supposed to kill him, not kiss him…. Or if it was because of something else…. Something that he wasn't ready to even acknowledge. Whatever it was, he wanted to know more about her. Not just the little tidbits he'd picked up about her from some acquaintances in the underground.

Once he'd settled on some black jeans and a dark blue button up shirt with his motorcycle boots and black leather jacket, he headed downstairs to wait for Buffy. He poured himself and drink and downed it before pouring another. This one he paced himself.

"Where are you going?" Stefan asked.

"Out." Damon said.

"Damon…."

"Don't worry, no one will be harmed. I'm paying up on a debt that I owe."

"Will you be out late?"

"I don't know. Maybe. Why?"

"Just asking."

"You never 'just ask' anything, Stefan. But you know what? I'm in a good mood. I'm going to choose to ignore your sour self and not ruin my evening." Stefan shook his head and walked out of the living room.

A few minutes later, Buffy made her way into the room and Damon almost dropped his drink. Her long blonde hair was in messy waves down her back and her makeup was barely there with the exception of the deep burgundy lipstick that matched her dress. The boots and the black leggings made her legs look longer and leaner than they actually were. She already had her leather jacket on.

Buffy looked down at herself. "It was Lexi's outfit. Well…. Except for the coat. It's mine."

"It looks amazing on you." Damon said, setting his glass down before he dropped it.

"Oh. Thanks."

"You ready to go?"

"Yeah."

Damon walked up to her and slipped his hand into hers. She smiled slightly and let him lead her out the door to his car. He held the door open for her like a gentleman, then was suddenly getting into the driver's seat after using his superspeed to get around the car.

"So…." He started the car up and started to drive. "You promised to tell me stories."

"What stories do you want to hear? I've got a lot."

"Hmm…. What's your favorite?"

"Oh, I don't know."

"You've got to have a favorite."

"I don't know. I haven't really thought about it. If I have to pick one off the cuff…. I got a special award at my senior prom."

"Like Prom Empress?"

Buffy laughed. "No. Class Protector."

"Your entire senior class knew about you being the Slayer? You really don't know the meaning of secret identity, do you?"

Buffy laughed. "They didn't know, but they knew I helped them in some way. Apparently because of me, my class had the lowest mortality rate of any graduating class. They gave me a little umbrella with a plaque."

Damon smiled. "I'm sure it was nice."

"Was being the operative word. When I went to college, some vampire bully bitch broke it."

"Vampire bully bitch?"

"Yeah. She and her little gang went around eating freshmen and then stealing their stuff out of their dorms. They left notes saying that the student had dropped out. They tried it on me, but…."

"They messed with the wrong girl."

"Yeah."

"You went to college?"

"For a little while. Till my mom got sick. Then I dropped out to take care of her and my sister."

"What happened to your mom?"  
"Brain tumor. The doctors managed to get all of it out, but…. There was an aneurism. I came home one day and she was just lying on the couch…. Gone. The doctors assured me it was painless and there's nothing I could've done."

"I'm sorry."

Buffy shrugged. "I miss her every day. People say time heals all wounds, but that one…. That one hasn't healed." She looked up. "Sorry. I didn't mean to bring the mood down."

"No. I like hearing about you." He glanced over at her before saying, "I was close to my mother."

"Really?"

"Yes. She was kind and gentle…. And she was beautiful. I have her eyes."

"What happened to her?"

"After Stefan was born…. She got weaker and weaker until eventually living was too much for her. She died in her sleep one night."

"What about your dad?"

Damon snorted. "My father expected so much from both of his sons that there was no way we _couldn't_ disappoint him. I really frustrated him when I dropped out of the army."

"You were in the army?"

"Yes. I fought for the Confederacy. It wasn't for me, though." Buffy giggled slightly and then pressed her lips together. "What?"

"The thought of you in uniform…. I can't see it."

Damon smirked. "Neither could I." He parked in front of the Mystic Grill and got out to open Buffy's door and help her out. They walked in and sat down in a corner with some relative privacy. The waitress came up and got their drink orders and handed them menus. As they perused the menus, Damon said, "What about your father?"

Buffy glanced up at him. "What father?"

"Ouch. Daddy issues."

"He was barely there growing up. Nothing's changed. His secretaries are more important to him than his daughters."

"Seems like we have more in common than we thought."

"Seems like." Buffy looked up and met Damon's eyes. He smiled and she felt the butterflies start to flutter in her stomach. Thankfully the waitress came back with their drinks and to take their orders. They both ordered cheeseburgers and fries and Buffy ordered a side of honey mustard.

"What's the honey mustard for?" Damon asked.

"My French fries." Buffy answered. Damon wrinkled his nose. "Hey, don't knock it till you try it."

"Touché. Ok, so what other stories? You mentioned that the mayor of Sunnydale tried to eat your graduating class…."

"Yeah. He spent 100 years turning himself into a demon…. A big icky snake/dragon demon thing…. And he ascended at our graduation ceremony."

"How did you defeat him?"

"The entire class was loaded up with weapons. I had my own little army to fight back."

"He didn't see that coming."

Buffy shook her head. "He'd enlisted the help of a small army of vampires and the students took them on mostly while I took on the Mayor." She smiled. "I lured him through the school into the library and then blew up the school."

"You blew up the high school?"

"Yup. Best graduation ceremony I've ever been to."

Damon reached across the table and lifted her hair from her neck. "What about that?"

Buffy looked down at the table, moving her hair back across her neck. "That…. Actually ties in with the graduation story. Faith…. The other Slayer at the time…. She was evil then…. She shot Angel with an arrow that was dipped in the Killer of the Dead poison. The only cure is Slayer's blood."

"You let Angel feed from you?"

"I tried bringing him Faith…. I fought her and stuck her own knife in her gut, but she managed to get away. I was the only one left and losing Angel…. That wasn't an option."

"I thought he broke up with you?"

"He did, but that never stopped me from loving him."

"You still love him?"

Buffy looked away. "I'll always love him. He was my first…. Everything."

"What happened on your 17th birthday?"

"Huh?"

"You said you accidentally released Angelus on your 17th birthday."

"Oh. Uh…. Angel's curse…. The one that gives him his soul…. There's a loophole. Perfect happiness." She looked at Damon to see him patiently waiting for the explanation. "Uh…. My first time was with Angel on my 17th birthday."

Damon smirked, understanding what she was getting at. "Well, that's no surprise. Our one night together was…. What was the word you used…. Explosive."

"Damon!" Buffy's eyes widened in embarrassment.

"What? It's the truth."

"It's not just sex. It's me. He can't be with me because I make him happy."

"I don't have a curse."

"Are you asking me to have sex with you…. Again?"

"I'm not. I was just saying…. If every time is like that, I can see why he lost his soul. You can throw me down anytime you want and…."

"Ok. I get your point." She smirked slightly. "I'll remember that."

He smiled. "So, tell me about your mother. What was she like?"

Damon liked seeing the gentle smile that crept across Buffy's face at the thought of her mother. "She was amazing. Though I don't think I ever appreciated her until I lost her. I feel like I always took advantage of the fact that she was always there and she seemed to always understand. She was so strong. I wish I could be as strong as she was."

"I'd say you've done her proud. I know we haven't known each other very long, but from what I've seen…. You're one hell of a woman."

Buffy blushed. "Thanks." She shook her head. "How is it that I can tell you these things?"

"I can be a very good listener."

"I meant…."

"I know. You hate me."

She sighed and rolled her eyes. "Hate…. It's such a strong word now. I meant it, Damon, when I said that I consider you a friend."

"Just a friend?"

Before Buffy could answer, the waitress came back and refreshed their drinks. She promised the food would be out shortly and walked away. Buffy looked at Damon. "Tell me about your mother. What was she like?"

Damon sighed and leaned back in his seat, blowing out a breath. "She was…. A lot like your mother. She was very supportive of everything I did. She was French."

"What was her name?"

"Mary."

Buffy smiled. "Simple. I like it."

"What was your mother's name?"

"Joyce."

"Pretty. However did she come up with Buffy?"

She laughed and shrugged. "It was the 80s."

Damon smiled. "The 80s."

"What were you like in the 80s?"

"Not too much different than I am now."

"Oh, come on! You had to have rocked some bad fashion!"

"Well…. I did own a Member's Only jacket."

Buffy laughed so hard she almost snorted. "I can't imagine you in one of those."

"You'll never have to. I burned it once I came to my senses." Damon watched her get her laugher under control and smiled. "Your fashion choices must have some questionable articles."

"Well…. If you asked Giles, he would say all of them, but I felt I was doing the best that I could on a budget…. And that's adding in the fact that most of my clothing got ruined with a mixture of demon blood, my blood, sewer grime, graveyard grass and dirt, and vampire dust."

"How did you become the longest living Slayer?"

"Why? Are you planning to sell my secret to my army of Slayers?"

"I could make a killing."

"It's not much of a secret." He waited expectantly. "Dumb luck."

"I don't believe that."

"It's true. I mean…. Well, I have died twice…."

"It's not just dumb luck that you're sitting here…. Breathing and talking…. Right now."

"Well, no…. I mean…. My friends…."

"Slayers aren't supposed to have those."

"And maybe that's why Slayers before me never lived that long. I'm sorry, but I like living. If that's a crime, then those who oppose my lifestyle can go fly a kite."

"And there's another reason."

"What?"

"You have a fire in you that's hard to extinguish. No wonder I'm intrigued by you. I'm like a moth to a flame that burns incredibly bright and incredibly hot."

"You're not the first person to say that."

"I imagine I'm not." Damon glanced up and noticed the waitress headed for them with their food. She put their plates in front of them and quickly walked back to get Buffy's honey mustard she'd forgotten. Damon and Buffy ate in silence for a few minutes, just enjoying sneaking looks at each other. Finally, Damon broke the silence. "Tell me about when you made the Slayer army."

"What do you want me to tell?"

"How did you do it? Why did you do it?"

"The First Evil was attacking the Slayer line…. Killing potential Slayers and their Watchers. Giles brought it to my attention along with three girls who were potentials. After that, they kept showing up at my house."

"Sounds like fun."

"Not hardly. Then Caleb came to town."

"Who's Caleb?"

"The First was incorporeal and Caleb was its physical hand."

"I take it you beat him."

Buffy nodded. "That scythe of mine? He and the First were trying to hide it from me. I took it and found out that it belonged to me…. Or rather, it belonged to the active Slayer. We fought and I split him in two."

"Nice!"

"But he wasn't the worst of it. The First had an army of Neanderthal vamps."

"'Neanderthal vamps'?"

"Ancient vampires…. As old as the original demons that owned the Earth before humans kicked them out. They were almost impossible to kill."

"And there was an army of them gunning for you?"

"Yes. Down in the Hellmouth in Sunnydale. Willow did some digging on my scythe after I told her there was power in it that only myself and Faith could feel. The essence of my scythe is the essence of the Slayer line."

"You used the scythe to make Slayers."

"We went down into the Hellmouth and Willow performed a serious magic trick. All the girls I had with me…. About 30 including Faith and myself…. Turned into Slayers and we took on thousands of Neanderthal vamps in a really big cave."

"How did you win?"

"Spike had a medallion that Angel gave to me that I gave to him. It used Spike's soul to destroy the Hellmouth."

"Spike is…?"

Buffy sighed. "Oh…. Next question."

Damon nodded knowingly. "William the Bloody aka Spike. Made by one of Angelus' vampires?" Buffy nodded. "I heard about him."

"He's pretty famous."

Damon cocked an eyebrow at her, understanding dawning on him. "And he's another of your vampire lovers."

"Yes."

"You're twisted. A Slayer who loves vampires."

"I'm not conventional."

"Not in the least! I like it _so_ much."

Buffy smirked. "I'm sure you do." She eyed him for a second. "Ok…. What about Katherine?"

"What about her?"

"How did she come into your life?"

"My father sponsored her." Damon noticed Buffy's confused look. "He took her in. She claimed to be an orphan of the war from Atlanta and my father invited her to stay with us. Stefan saw her first, but when I got home…. I was completely in love with her from the first look."

"When did you find out she was a vampire?"

"When she showed me one day."

"Oh."

Damon shrugged. "Let's get back to you." He leaned forward, pushing his plate out of the way. "How did you meet Lexi?"

"Why?"

"Because that's the beginning of our story."

Buffy nodded. "I met her in an alley behind a nightclub in Rome. Lexi hated vampires…. Uh…. The bumpy forehead variety…. And these three had been harassing this woman most of the night. I followed them out to go take care of them and so did Lexi. I thought she was a Slayer I'd missed because she moved so fast and she was strong." Buffy smirked. "After we'd turned them to ashes, Lexi looked at me and said 'Good to know you can still do your job.'"

The waitress came up and brought them more drinks, stopping their flow of conversation for a moment. Damon waited till she was out of earshot before asking, "What did that mean?"

"She knew who I was. There were stories about me in Rome…. That I was making nice with the Immortal and shirking my calling. That was Xander's doing, though. He placed copy Slayers of me in different cities to throw off demons who were out to kill me. I could move about freely and still do my job. It was pretty useful for a while, but I got bored. Moved back to Rome and kicked my lazy little clone girl out of the city. Lexi didn't like the Immortal and she wanted to warn me away from him. Once I figured out she wasn't a Slayer, but a different kind of vampire…. I wouldn't leave her alone. I kept pestering her with questions about her kind of vampire. I drug her to England to show her to Giles. She was a good sport about it."

"How long ago was this?"

"About two years ago. Lexi and I became fast friends. I'm surprised I didn't meet Stefan before this year."

"How did she convince you to go globetrotting with her?"

"I had expressed multiple times how fun it would be to see this place or that and she kept saying 'Well do it! I'll go with you!' And then I randomly mentioned my thoughts on retiring from the Slayer thing since everything was going so smooth and she took it and ran with it. Every time I'd mentioned it to Giles, he'd come up with some excuse as to why 'now just isn't the right time, Buffy'." She mimicked Giles's voice and shook her head. "He and Lexi got into an argument about it and Lexi won. I think there may have been some compulsion involved…. But Lexi got her way. I came home from a meeting with my friends…. They were the head of the Council…. And Lexi had everything I owned packed away. I sold my apartment and we started off on our adventure."

"Which eventually led you here."

"Yes. And Lexi to her death…."

"I said I was sorry."

"It's still a sore spot."

"Ok, new story, then."

"Ok. Did you choose to become a vampire?"

"Yes. Next question. How did you beat Angelus?"

"What?"

"You have no idea the stories I've heard about him, Buffy. He's a scary guy. He didn't kill to survive…. He killed for pleasure and he was _good_ at it. I heard about what he did to a nun once that he'd become obsessed with."

"Drusilla."

"What?"

"That was her name. Drusilla. I met her. She was crazy."

"So how did you beat him?"

"I didn't."

"Well, obviously you…."

"Willow put Angel's soul back. Technically, I didn't beat Angelus. I was about to kill him, but Willow put his soul back and he was Angel again."

"And you almost lived happily ever after."

"Except for the part where I had to send Angel to hell for what Angelus had done." Damon looked at her questioningly. "Angelus had opened a portal to hell and the only way to close it was his blood. I was planning to send Angelus to hell to stop the world from being sucked into it, but he became Angel again."

"No wonder he broke up with you."

"Damon!"

"I'm joking. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I was joking. I was trying to lighten the mood." He held up his hands with a sexy smirk and Buffy shook her head. "Let's move on to something else since that's a sensitive subject. What's your favorite kill?"

"My favorite kill?"

"You fight demons and vampires and I know that you enjoy it. I saw it that night you tortured that vampire in the high school cafeteria. So, I figure you have to have a favorite kill. What is it?"

Buffy smirked, remembering exactly what her favorite kill was. "The Judge."

"Demon?"

"Big, scary, end the world demon. I killed him with a rocket launcher."

Damon's eyes widened. "Are you serious?"

Buffy laughed slightly. "It was a birthday gift from Xander. They once said that no weapon forged could kill the Judge, but I proved him wrong. I can also officially say that that was the best birthday present I ever received."

"Note to self: She likes military grade scary toys for presents."

"Sometimes it's fun to find new ways to kill things."

"I knew I liked you for a reason." Damon glanced at their empty plates and finished drinks. "Let's head back home and continue our conversation there."

"Good idea. This booth is starting to get uncomfortable."

Damon summoned the waitress and paid the bill, leaving a generous tip. He and Buffy made their way back to his car. Before she slid into the passenger's seat, Damon pulled her to him and kissed her. It was gentle but deep and passionate. And it made the butterflies in both of their stomachs go into overdrive. Buffy actually felt a little weak in the knees. He smirked and shut her door before climbing into the driver's seat. She reached over and took his hand as they drove back to the Salvatore Boarding House that they both called home. They listened to the radio station instead of talking on the way back.

At the front door, Damon said, "I'm going to check on Stefan."

"Ok. I'll meet you upstairs in my room?" Buffy said.

"Planning to seduce me?"

"Not at the moment, no. I'm just planning on getting comfortable." She walked past him and trotted up the stairs to her room. While she waited for Damon, she threw on a pair of pink velour Juicy Couture shorts and a plain black tank top. Her hair went up into a messy bun and the dark lipstick was wiped away.

When Damon showed up in her doorway, he couldn't help but admire her bare, sunkissed legs. "Nice."

She turned around. "How is he?"

"The same. Acts like there's nothing wrong him."

"Maybe he's back to normal."

"And maybe pigs can fly."

"Should we talk to him?"

"No. He'll be fine." Buffy looked at him skeptically. "He will. This is just how Stefan does. Come on." He took her hand and led her over to the bed. "Tell me more about you."

"Why are you so interested in me?" Buffy asked as she climbed up onto the bed and curled up against the headboard.

Damon laid down on her bed next to her and stretched out on his back, resting his head on his hands. "You're an enigma. I can't quite figure you out."

"Do you think you will?"

He looked over at her. "I hope I don't, actually."  
"I'm good at surprising people."

"_That_ I can believe." Damon rolled over onto his side, propping himself up on his hand. "What's the scariest bad guy you've ever faced?"

Buffy glanced at the pictures on her nightstand. There was one there of her and Willow smiling outside the Tower of London. "Willow."

"Your best friend?"

She looked back at Damon. "Yes."

"Was she evil before she met you?"

"No. Circumstances turned her into the bad guy for a little while." Damon waited expectantly. "Willow's girlfriend Tara was killed accidentally by this stupid guy who was trying to kill me. They'd just made up after being broken up for a while. Willow had become addicted to the magics and eventually it had been too much for Tara to take. She'd left and it had been the kick that Willow had needed. She recovered from her addiction and Tara came back." Buffy looked back at the picture. "The stray bullet went through the upstairs window and shot Tara straight through the heart while she was talking to Willow. Willow lost it. She was so angry. She went to the Magic Box…. The magic shop that Giles owned…. And she sucked up all the magic from the books there. She turned scary…. Black hair, black eyes, black clothes, black veins…. And she went after the guy that had killed Tara."

"Did you stop her?"

"Not in time. She flayed him alive before deciding that the world needed to be destroyed. She went to unearth some satanic temple that had been buried by an earthquake."

"How did you stop her?"

"I didn't. She trapped me down in an underground cavern fighting dirt demons. Xander is the one that stopped her. He got through to her because he's known her since they were little. Willow couldn't take what she'd done and all the magic that she'd sucked up was still inside her…. So Giles took her to England to study with a coven over there. It took her a long time to come to grips with what she'd done and what she'd lost."

"Wait…. Willow's a lesbian?"

"Yes."

"That's hot."

Buffy rolled her eyes. "Why do guys insist that lesbians are the epitome of hot?"

"They're not 'the epitome of hot' but they're pretty damn sexy."  
"Women don't think that way."

"Lesbians do."

That made Buffy laugh and Damon smiled. "I'm jealous."

"Of lesbians?"

"No. You look comfortable. I want to get comfortable."

"I thought you were."

"Leather and jeans are not comfortable. I'm going to go change." He stood up off the bed and turned to her. "Come on."

"Where are we going?"

"My room. Why put such a good conversation on such a long hold when all you have to do is follow me?" He held out his hand and Buffy took it, standing up off the bed and following Damon to his room. He shut the door behind them and Buffy went to inspect his beautiful four poster bed.

"The last time I was in here, I didn't realize what a pretty bed this is."

"We were kind of busy."

She looked around the room, admiring the colors of the room and the open bathroom. "Or how tasteful your decorating is." Her eyes came back around to rest on a now shirtless Damon.

He smirked. "I _know_ that you noticed this."

"Yeah. Hard not to." She walked over to the bathroom mirror and inspected herself while Damon changed into a pair of loose pajama bottoms. "How do you know about Angelus and Spike?"

"I spent a lot of time over in Europe not long after I was turned, which was right around their heyday. I heard stories about them from other vampires of my kind. How evil they were. How sadistic Angelus and Darla were."

Buffy snorted. "Darla."

"Not a fan?"

She turned around and walked over to where Damon was now sitting on the edge of his bed. "Not in the least. She tried to kill me once. Angel staked her."

"He killed his sire for you? He really did love you."

"Yeah." Buffy looked at Damon. "How did you die?"

"Random question."

"I told you I surprise people."

Damon smirked. "My father shot me."

"You win! Your daddy issues trump mine."

"Stefan and I were trying to save Katherine. My father shot us to stop us. He didn't know that Katherine had fed us her blood not too long before that." He pulled her onto the bed and rolled them so he was on top for a few seconds. He smirked and rolled off her, settling on his side next to her. She rolled to her side and looked up at him. "How about you, Little-Miss-Died-Twice? How did you die?"

"Which time?"

"Both."

"I drowned the first time. I went down to fight the Master and he bit me before dropping my unconscious self into a large pool of water. Xander and Angel came to my rescue and Xander brought me back."

"The second time?"

"I swan dived off a very high tower built by crazy people into a portal that led to hundreds of different hell dimensions to save my sister. Our blood was the key to closing it, so I jumped and the portal killed me."

"Who saved you that time?"

"No one. I was dead and buried for three months."

"You're here now. And I'm pretty sure you're not a ghost." He squeezed her hand to prove his point.

Buffy rolled over onto her back, letting go of his hand, and looked away. "My friends figured that since the portal that killed me led to hell, then that's where I was…. So they brought me back."

Damon stared at Buffy for a long moment. "But they brought you _to_ hell."

Buffy looked over at Damon, surprised that he had understood so quickly without her spelling it out. "Yes. I had found peace. I had been in heaven. And then I woke up in my coffin six feet under."

"You had to crawl out of your own grave?" Buffy nodded, unconsciously rubbing her knuckles. It was a habit of hers whenever she thought about that night. Damon moved her hair gently off her shoulder, his fingers lingering against her skin for a moment. "I'm sorry."

"I don't remember too many specifics of it anymore…. Those started fading as soon as I came back…. Just that I was happy and I knew that everyone I loved was going to be ok."

"I can't imagine being ripped away from that by those loved ones. I probably wouldn't love them anymore. You must be a saint or an angel or something."

"I hated my friends for a while, but I had never planned on telling them what they'd done."

"But you did?"

"In a song. Xander summoned a demon that turned the entire town into a bad Rodgers and Hammerstein musical. We sang everything and couldn't stop ourselves. My big number revealed my big secret to my friends." She looked back up at him. "Can we change topics? I don't like this one anymore."

"Ok." Damon thought for a second, scooting closer to her and lying down on his back. He reached out and threaded his fingers through hers. "Why did you decide to stay in Mystic Falls?"

"I don't know. I was so upset after you killed Lexi and then Stefan wouldn't let me kill you…. I felt kinda lost. When Stefan offered me a room…. I don't know. It just felt right to accept it."

"Why didn't you try to kill me again after that night?"

"I promised Stefan I wouldn't."

"Didn't I tell you that if you got to know me, you would like me?"

"You did say that at one point."

"You know that Lexi was a big believer in 'everything happens for a reason', right? Maybe you were meant to come to Mystic Falls and stay. You and Elena have really hit it off and you seem to be really good friends with Jenna…."

"I actually think that Jenna and I are related."

"Really?"

"Distant cousins, but we had a discussion and I think the family tree needs to be checked."

"Fate."

"Figures. I've always been fate's bitch one way or another." Buffy sighed. "What time is it?"

Damon glanced at the clock on his nightstand. "A little after one in the morning."

"Have we really been talking that long?"

"Yes."

Buffy looked up at Damon. "I've had a really great time."

"I have to." He reached down and pulled her closer, pressing his lips against hers. The kiss lasted for a few moments before Buffy pulled away. Damon smiled slightly and laid her head against his chest, holding her to him as she intertwined her legs in his. "Tell me more about you."

"Sometimes I wish I could go back to the days before I was a Slayer."

He smiled to himself. "Sometimes I wish I could go back to the days before I met Katherine."

Buffy yawned. "Everything happens for a reason."


	2. Welcome To Mystic Falls, Spike

WELCOME TO MYSTIC FALLS, SPIKE

Spike followed the directions to Mystic Falls, VA that Angel had given him. The stupid ponce had made such a fuss about Buffy's new beau that Spike had agreed to go check on the blonde Slayer just to shut Angel up. He finally found the driveway he was looking for and pulled in. It stretched on for a while before opening up in front of a large Tudor style mansion. Spike whistled and got out, staring around at the expansive property.

"This is a step up from that apartment in Rome, love." Spike said. Instead of going straight to the door, he decided to walk to grounds and see if Buffy was even home. She was apparently driving a Mercedes that she'd inherited when her friend Lexi had been killed. He checked the garage and anywhere else a car might be parked, but there was no sign of a Mercedes.

Heading back to his car, he decided to drive into town and check the place out. He'd come back later to see if she'd returned. The town square looked exactly like a picturesque little Southern town square that he'd seen in dozens of movies. The Mystic Grill looked promising. It was the only real place to hang out from what Spike could tell. He parked his car on the street and headed inside. The place wasn't too busy, so he made his way to the bar and took a seat. Buffy's smell was somewhere in the place, but she was nowhere to be seen.

A tall, blonde boy walked past carrying a tray of dirty dishes. "Hey, mate." Spike said, stopping him. "Do you know Buffy Summers?"

"Oh yeah! She was in here not too long ago with Elena and Caroline." The boy eyed him warily. "Who are you?"

"An old friend. Any idea where they went?"

"No idea. They were doing a girls' day."

"Thanks."

The boy moved off and Spike sighed. "You're new." A voice said behind him. He turned to find an older, fairly attractive woman in a nice linen pant suit and pearls. "Did I hear you asking about Buffy Summers?"

"Yeah. You know her?"

"We're friends." She held out her hand. "Carol Lockwood. I'm the mayor of Mystic Falls."

"William." Spike said, shaking Carol's hand. "Mayor, huh? She doesn't trust mayors."

"She's never mentioned that to me."

"Well, the last one she knew tried to kill her and her entire graduating class."

"I can see where the mistrust comes from. I'm not looking to kill her, though. She's been a real help to our community and to the Gilbert family. She's become very active on the Founders Council as the legal guardian for Elena and Jeremy Gilbert and as the future Mrs. Salvatore."

"She's just a regular upstanding citizen."

"More than you know." Spike found that comment weird, but he let it slide.

"Wait! 'Future Mrs. Salvatore'?"

"Yes. Damon popped the question recently. He has impeccable taste. The ring is gorgeous!"

Spike fought hard not to punch this woman in the face. No need to kill the messenger. "I'm sure. Listen, I need to see her. Any idea where I can find her?"

"The Salvatore Boarding House, of course."

"Yeah, I tried there…. She wasn't home."

Carol sighed. "There's a party this evening that she'll be attending."

"I wasn't invited."

"I'm inviting you. I need a plus one."

Spike smirked. "Tell me more about her work on the Founders Council."

* * *

Spike stood outside the mansion and shook his head at all the formally attired people walking into the house. Angel had mentioned that this town had a thing for big, fancy parties. Spike made his way around the expansive front of the house, searching for any sign of Buffy. Unfortunately, Carol found him first. The woman was nice, but she seemed like the clingy sort.

"William! What are you doing out here?" She said, making her way towards him.

"I'm keeping an eye out for Buffy."

"She'll come inside. You should wait for her in there." She wound her arm through his and led him towards the door. Spike steeled himself to run into the barrier and then dash off, but to his surprise he passed over the threshold with no problems. The owners of the house were dead…. Or vampires. Lovely. Buffy sure knew how to pick them.

"So, how long will you be staying in Mystic Falls, William?" Carol asked.

"Not long." Spike said, looking around for the vampires he could sense. "Just passing through."

"How sad." Spike felt a familiar tingle and knew that his Slayer had arrived. He searched for her, but couldn't find her. "There she is." Carol let go of Spike and made her way towards a blonde woman looking warily around her.

Spike didn't recognize Buffy at all. She was completely done up in a deep purple, strapless, form-fitting, satin A-line gown with pickups all through the skirt. The top had a slash of tight ruffles that looked like flowers that had sparkles throughout them. At her hip was another set of ruffle flowers that sat atop a deep, daring slit that exposed her entire left leg. The back of the dress was laced up tightly like a corset. Her shoes were the same shade of purple, high-heeled peep toes. Her hair was curled and teased so she looked like she'd just rolled out of bed. Her makeup made her skin seem to glow and her eyes…. Something was different about them and it wasn't the makeup.

"Buffy, you look absolutely stunning." Carol said, walking up to Buffy and her date.

"Thank you, Carol. You look pretty amazing yourself." Buffy said.

"I have someone that would like to meet you. Excuse us, Damon. Hello, Elena, Stefan, Caroline." Carol took Buffy's arm and steered her away from the little group she was with. "His name is William."

"And he is….?"

"He's here from out of town, but he's interested in your work here on the Council and as a Slayer."

"And he came to you instead of me?"

"Well, I've tried going to your house a few times, but you're never home." Spike said as she drew up to him.

"Oh, you have _got_ to be kidding me." Buffy rolled her eyes at him. "First Angel, now you?"

"Well, from what Peaches told me, I got worried. Thought I'd come check on you."

"You two know each other?" Carol asked.

"Unfortunately." Buffy said, glaring at Spike. "Excuse us, Carol." Buffy grabbed his arm and dragged him off. She seemed to possess a greater strength and grace than she had the last time he'd seen her. "What in the world are you doing here?"

"You look amazing, by the way. How come you've never dressed up like this before?" Spike was still trying to figure out what was so different about her.

"Stop stalling. Why are you here?"

"I told you…." He grabbed her hand, meaning to be charming, but the temperature of her skin was wrong. "Wait…. Why are your hands so cold? And your eyes are different…." He looked at her, hard, and took a whiff of the air in front of her. He took a step back, shaking his head in shock. "No…."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah…. I'm a vampire." She sounded so nonchalant about it.

"Are you out of your sodding mind!" Spike exploded.

"Keep it down, would you? And no, I'm not out of my mind."

"Buffy! There you are." A man said, walking up to Buffy and wrapping an arm around her waist and taking her hand to kiss her knuckles.

"Just what I need!" Buffy groaned.

The man eyed Spike warily. "Who's your friend, love?"

"Oh, I see…." Spike said. "You must be this Damon Angel keeps ranting about."

"No. He's Klaus." Buffy said, dislodging herself from Klaus's grasp. "Damon is somewhere else at this party."

Klaus…. That name was familiar. He was the big bad vampire that made Angelus his bitch. "So you're the big bad, eh?"

"More like the big thorn in my side."

Klaus chuckled at her sour face and ignored Spike altogether. "You look utterly ravishing tonight, darling. I'm so glad you could come."

"I need a drink." Buffy turned and marched away from Spike and Klaus.

Klaus looked at Spike. "Who are you, friend?"

"Oh, I'm not your friend." Spike said. "I'm hers."

"That doesn't tell me your name."

"Spike."

Klaus smirked. "William the Bloody."

"Haven't been him in a long while, mate."

"That's too bad." Klaus turned and walked off, heading for the stairs where a group of…. Great, more vampires…. Were gathering.

"Uh, if everyone could gather please!" One of them called from the stairs. Spike looked for Buffy and found her at the bar. She turned looked around for someone and Spike didn't miss the slight eye roll when she saw him making his way towards her. "Welcome. Thank you for joining us."

"What kind of friends do you have here, pet?" Spike asked when he finally reached her.

"Shh!" Buffy waved him off when she spotted a woman walking down to join the vampires on the stairs.

"You know, whenever my mother brings our family together like this, it's tradition for us to commence the evening with a dance. Tonight's pick is a century's old waltz. So if all of you could find yourselves a partner, please join us in the ballroom." The speaker moved down the stairs.

Spike glanced at Buffy. She'd never danced with him and he wasn't sure she'd do it now. What the hell…. He held his hand out to her. "How well can you waltz?" She looked at his hand for a second, but never got to answer. A man…. Vampire…. With dark hair and dazzling eyes walked up to them.

"There you are." He said, looking at Spike with wary eyes. "Who's your friend?"

"Damon, Spike. Spike, Damon." Buffy said. Oh, so _that_ was Damon.

"Spike? As in….?"

"Yes." Buffy looked at the woman on the stairs making her way back up and then looked across the room for someone else. Spike could sense that she wanted to talk to the woman on the stairs, but she didn't want to do it alone. Why didn't she want her…. Fiancé to go? Damon seemed to notice this, too, and Buffy looked at him. "She wants to see Elena and I…. alone."

"Well that's not going to happen." Damon said.

"Damon…."

"You may be all-powerful, but she's an all-powerful witch."

What the hell? "What am I missing?" Spike asked.

"A lot." Buffy looked up at the now empty staircase and then at the people grouping up around them and heading for the ballroom.

"It would be rude not to dance, you know." Damon said, holding out his hand.

Buffy sighed. "It is tradition." She took his hand and looked at Spike.

"Oh balls…." He turned and walked off, but he didn't get far.

"There you are. How well can you waltz, William?" Carol grabbed him and pulled him towards the ballroom to dance. Spike went along with it, noticing Buffy's smirk. He promised to get her back for it later as he chose a spot near Buffy and Damon, but not close enough to make it obvious he was eavesdropping.

As they started to dance, Damon said, "Why do your exes keep popping up like this?"

"I have no idea." Buffy said, keeping up with the steps, much to Spike's surprise.

"How are we supposed to plan a wedding," Damon turned her into hold and pulled her close as they moved in the box steps around the room. "When these distractions keep appearing?"

Buffy smiled and Spike felt a jealous pang. She really did love the bloke. No wonder Angel hated him so much.

"Who said we're planning a wedding?" Buffy quipped. "I thought you just wanted a more solid title."

"Well, 'husband' is a very solid title." Buffy shook her head at Damon. "Besides, I just remembered how stunning you look in formal wear."

"You're biased."

"Maybe. But I'm not the only one in this room staring at you."

"Yeah. A good portion of them are vampires." Spike didn't miss the slight glare that Damon shot him and he was sure that Buffy didn't miss it.

Damon smirked at Buffy. "You'd be surprised how many human men stare at you." Spike had to agree with that. The bird was gorgeous.

"You're an excellent waltzer." Carol said.

"Time to change partners, love." Spike turned Carol into someone else just as Damon turned Buffy. She ended up trading partners into Klaus's arms. Spike stepped away from the dancers, leaving the poor redheaded woman standing there with no dance partner. Damon tried to come back for Buffy, but another blonde vampire had him and was dancing him away. Spike groaned and moved towards the wall, keeping his sharp hearing out for anything Buffy and Klaus said.  
"Alone at last." Klaus was saying. Buffy didn't say anything, and if she did, Spike missed it. "Why is your old flame crashing my mother's party?"  
"Angel went and told him about everything that's been going on here." Buffy said. "How much I've changed because of Damon…."

"And neither of them like it?"

Of course not!

"Of course not." Buffy echoed his thoughts.

"And now Spike knows about your new lifestyle. How's that going?"

I haven't gotten to rip into her about it.

"He seems pretty upset."

"I could have him ejected for you."

Damn well better not, you sodding prick!

"Please don't. I don't want any drama tonight."

Thank you, Buffy.

"As you wish." Buffy started looking around the ballroom distractedly. Spike couldn't tell what she was looking for since Buffy obviously couldn't find it. "What is it, love?" Klaus asked.

Buffy shook her head. "I'm just…. Overwhelmed."

"It happens to us all in the beginning. You'll get used to it."

"I meant…. I think Damon wants to actually have a wedding, Spike's suddenly in town, you're after me, and now Stefan's…." She shook her head again, trailing off. So maybe she wasn't as in love with Damon as Angel thought. Then again, Buffy had a bit of a commitment problem.

"Stefan's what?" Klaus prodded.

"I think he's still in love with Elena."

"Hi!" The redhead from earlier said, walking up. "You ditched me."

"Sorry, pet. Not a fan of this dance." Spike said.

"You seemed pretty good with the Mayor."

"How old are you?"

"Nineteen." Spike lifted an eyebrow. "Ok, I'm here with my parents. I'm sixteen."

"Too young for me." Spike looked up and noticed Buffy moving away from Klaus with speed that he could barely track.

Spike managed to catch her just as she made it across the hall and into a library. "What's going on?" Buffy asked with a glance at Spike as he walked in behind her.

"We need to talk to Esther." A young, dark haired girl said. He figured her for Elena, so the vampire must be Stefan. "But Damon won't allow it."

"Oh, he's talked to you, too, huh?"

"Yes."

"Who's this?" The other vampire in the room asked, eyeballing Spike. Spike thought he looked like Angel's younger brother, so he was definitely Stefan.

"He's…. Spike." Buffy said, glancing at him. Spike mentally shrugged at the lame introduction. Their history was long and sordid and apparently this wasn't the time to get into it. "So, what do you have in mind?"

"You're not going to like it." Elena said.

Buffy sighed. "Guys, I don't want to hurt him just to get upstairs to see her."

"You may be able to get past Damon, but Elena won't. Not without a scene." Stefan said. "I'll just incapacitate him…."

"How? By breaking his neck?"

"That would work."

"No! We are not hurting him. I'll talk to him."

"Which will take too much time. I think this offer might be time sensitive."

"Can someone fill me in here?" Spike asked finally. He'd had enough of them talking over his head. "I'm really lost."

"It's too much to cram in a nutshell." Buffy said before looking at Stefan. Spike rolled his eyes. Always so damn bossy. "He just needs to be distracted so Elena can get past him."

Stefan looked at Spike. "Well, he could act like Angel and tell Damon to take a break from you."

"It wouldn't be acting, mate." Spike said. "From what I've heard…."

"You heard wrong." Buffy snapped. "But that plan could work."

Spike looked at Buffy. "Wait, is what you're planning to do dangerous?"

"Maybe."

"Could it get you killed?"

Buffy shrugged. "Maybe."

Spike sighed. He trusted her completely when it came to stuff like this. "Well, you've always been good with maybe situations. I'll go pick a fight with your sweetie-bear. But I bloody well better get some explanations before the night is out." He turned and marched out.

Damon wasn't hard to find. He was searching for Buffy and not being shy about it. Spike moved into the other vampire's path, blocking him from getting near the stairs and seeing Buffy and Elena. "Have you seen Buffy?" Damon asked.

"I was searching for her myself. But since I've found you instead…."

Damon rolled his eyes. "Look, Angel can stop sending his lackeys…."

"I'm not a lackey! And I'm sure as hell not that ponce's lackey!"

"And you're here because?"

"I'm looking out for the bird. I do love her and I care about her. I don't want to see her with the wrong man."

"What makes you think you're the right man?"

"Never said I was." Damon looked surprised. "Yeah. I know I'm not what she needs. I wish I was, but…. I'll never be what she needs or wants."  
"What about Angel?"

"I don't think the wanker's right for her either, but I can't tell him how to feel. I always was the smarter one of the two of us."

"How do you know I'm not the right man?"

"You kill people."

"I'm a vampire."  
"But you don't have to kill people."

"No. I don't. But that's what vampires do."

"And now you've turned her into one."

"It was her choice. Unlike some of the men in her life, I let her make her own decisions. She's actually pretty good at making them."

It was Spike's turn to look surprised. Damon had a point there. The men in Buffy's life did like to take her choices away from her. He always figured that had been his appeal to her: that he always let her choose. He was starting to worry that maybe Buffy liked men that told her what to do.

Damon sighed. "Look…. I get that you and Angel are worried about her. I do. And honestly, I'm still amazed that she even gives me the time of day after everything I've put her through. But I love her and I will do anything…. Anything…. To keep her happy."

Spike nodded. "Well…. The warning still stands."

"What warning?"

"If you hurt her in any way…. I will hunt you down and kill you in the nastiest way possible."

"Fair enough. Willow's already made that threat, though. And she's scarier than you are."

Spike blew out a breath that could also be interpreted as a laugh. "Big Red is the scariest person I've ever met."

"So, have you seen Buffy?"

"Oh. Yeah. She and Elena are upstairs with that Esther woman."

"What?"

"I was sent out here to be the distraction so they could get up there without you making a scene."

Damon growled and shoved past Spike. Spike smirked, taking a small pleasure in pissing Damon off, and followed. Stefan was standing guard at the bottom of the stairs and he stopped his brother before he could hit the first stair.

"Stop, Damon." Stefan said calmly.

"Oh, you're in on it too!" Damon said, his voice low and dangerous.

"They're fine."

"They're up there with the world's most dangerous witch with no protection. They are _not_ fine."

"Just let them handle this. I trust them."

"I don't trust Esther."

"Calm down." Spike said. "Buffy has handled worse." Damon turned and stormed off. Spike looked at Stefan. "I hope he's not right."

"I don't think Esther came here to kill any of us. I think Elena's right. She's on our side."

"And which side would that be? I'm still unclear on what's going on."

"Klaus killed Esther a thousand years ago, but a witch friend of hers put a spell on her body. We've been looking for a way to kill Klaus and he was toting around a coffin that no one could open. We figured there was something in there that could kill him. Bonnie…. A friend of Elena's who's also a witch…. Managed to open the coffin and released Esther. We think she's here to help us kill Klaus."

"Why does she want to see Buffy and Elena?"

"We don't know. But that's why they're up there. To find out."

Spike glanced up the stairs, suddenly hoping that Buffy would appear there. When she didn't, he shook his head. "I need a drink.

That's where Buffy and Elena found Spike a few long minutes later. "Where's my fiancé?" Buffy demanded.

"He's off somewhere with a stiff drink." Spike said. "Like myself." He held up a glass of scotch in a toast.

"You didn't kill him?"

"Turns out, I actually like him."

Buffy shook her head. "Elena, this is Spike. Spike this is…."  
"Your surrogate daughter. Yeah, Little Bits told me about her. It's nice to meet you."

"Little Bits?" Elena asked.

"That's his little pet name for my sister. Careful, he might give you one before the night's out." Buffy said. She turned back to Spike with a suspicious look on her face. "So, you like Damon?"

"He's not a bad apple like Forehead says." Spike said. "Angel just doesn't like him because he's got your heart." He took the final swig of his drink and set the glass down on the bar. "Can't say I fault him for that, though. It's the only thing I don't like about your beau."

"I'm glad you approve."

"Not sure I approve of this little change of yours, though."

Buffy shrugged. "A lot of people don't. But…."

Spike held up his hands. "It's your life. At least you're not a soulless beastie. I'd hate to have to kill you." He smiled that charming, thigh melting smile and Buffy smiled back. Yeah, he still had it.

"The champagne toast will be given out shortly. We'd better go take up our positions." Buffy kissed Spike's cheek and headed off with Elena.

Spike wandered after them at a leisurely pace. The woman he now knew as Esther stood on the stairs holding a champagne glass. She clinked a spoon against the glass to get everyone's attention. "Good evening ladies and gentlemen. Waiters are coming around with glasses of champagne. I invite you all to join me in raising a glass. It provides me with no greater joy than to see my family back together as one. I'd like to thank you all for being a part of this spectacular evening. Cheers."

"Cheers!" Everyone answered back.

Spike shook his head and watched as everyone took a sip of their champagne. He glanced over at Buffy just in time to see Klaus walk up to her and take her champagne flute. He said something to her before leading her off to another room with her arm linked in is. Elena looked after Buffy with panicked eyes.

Spike sighed and started making his way after Buffy. Unfortunately, Klaus had brought her into a hallway and disappeared into one of the doors. He sighed and made his way down the hall, listening for Buffy. He must be getting old because he missed them. Buffy came storming out of a door that he'd passed and headed back towards the ballroom. Spike followed, but Damon intercepted her before him.

"Buffy. Hey." Damon said.

"Damon." Buffy said.

"Are you ok?"

"I'm just angry."

"You didn't get what you wanted out of your little chat with Esther?"

"Actually, I did. That's not what I'm mad about."

"Well I'm mad. You cut me out of your plan. You had Spike distract me."

"It was better than what Stefan wanted to do."

"You shouldn't have cut me out at all, Buffy. We're supposed to be together…."

"Do you think I liked going behind your back? I didn't. I _don't_! But Elena and I needed to be up in that room and you…."

"You could've been killed."

"It was a risk I was willing to take."

"Well, I'm not!"

"Calm down, Damon. You're overreacting."

"What if that had been me up there?"

"I would've worried, but I trust you. Why can't you trust me?"

"I do."

"Obviously you don't. I'm not a fragile little human anymore."

"Have you guys seen Matt?" A young female voice asked. Spike was still hiding in the hallway, eavesdropping in Buffy and Damon, so he didn't know who it was. Not Elena, he was sure.

"I'll go find him." Buffy said, and Spike heard he walk away. Damon sighed and headed off in a different direction.

"They're not good for each other." Spike turned, startled, to find Klaus standing there.

"How would you know?" Spike asked.

"Because I know her. He won't be enough for her."

Spike nodded slowly. "I get it. You're in love with her, too."

"She's extraordinary."

"You don't stand a chance with her."

"That's your opinion." Klaus smirked and walked off.

Spike shook his head and went after Buffy. The sounds of a scuffle were coming from outside and Spike knew that's where he'd find Buffy. Spike caught up with Stefan just as he caught up to Buffy. She rushed outside to see Damon snap a vampire's neck.

"Damon!" Buffy scream.

"What are you, crazy?" Stefan demanded.

"Maybe a little." Damon said. "Far be it for me to cause a problem." He turned and walked off.

Buffy growled and shook her head angrily. Spike broke away from the small group of people and walked over to her. He took her elbow and ushered her back inside. "Let him cool down." He advised.

"No. I need to talk to him." Buffy sighed. "I need to sort this out. I'll find you later, Spike. Stefan, get Elena home please." She walked past Spike and Stefan and headed after Damon.

Spike looked at Stefan. "Is this how all the parties around here go?"

"Pretty much." Stefan said.

"What a fun town." He reached over and grabbed a piece of stationary off the table. He pulled a pen out of the cup and quickly jotted down a note to Buffy. "Here," Spike handed Stefan the note. "Make sure she gets that."

"You're not sticking around?"

"I'm not much help here. Besides, something tells me that she's going to be at it with Damon for a long while."

"I'll tell her you said bye."

"Nah. Just give her the note." Spike turned and headed out the door. He couldn't wait to tell Angel to piss off and screw up his own love life.


	3. Love At First Sight

Love At First Sight

Klaus didn't really like the body he was in, but Alaric was part of the little circle surrounding his doppelganger. Besides, he had to asses this Slayer that had taken root in Mystic Falls. He'd done some digging on her and she was dangerous. Hopefully his little distraction with a demon from her past was working. Angelus was annoying, but if he succeeded in keeping Buffy Summers off his back then the annoyance was well worth it. He'd kill the stupid vampire later. Straightening his back, he knocked on the door to the Salvatore Boarding House and then opened it, strolling on in.

"There you are." Damon said.

"Sorry I'm late." Klaus lied. There was a girl he didn't recognize standing in the room next to the blonde Slayer. "Who's this?" Truthfully, Klaus didn't care. His eyes were having a hard time tearing away from Buffy. The power radiating off of her was incredible. And her beauty….

"This is Dawn." Damon said, interrupting Klaus's thoughts. "Dawn, that's Rick." Dawn gave a little wave at Damon's introduction. "She's Buffy's little sister."

That was a surprise. "Why is she here?"

"Angelus is back and he killed Giles."

Klaus tried not to roll his eyes. "He killed the Watcher?" He was pleased with how shocked he actually sounded considering he'd order Angelus to do just that.

"Yeah."

"Great." He tried to sound sarcastic, but he was pretty sure he'd failed. He was still trying not to stare at Buffy.

"Hey, I need you to put me and Buffy down as chaperones at the dance tonight. Klaus made his first move."

"Ok, so we find him and then what?" Dawn asked. "What's our plan of attack?"

"Me." Bonnie said. "I'm the plan. He has no idea how much power I can channel. If you can find him, I can kill him."

Oh, but now I know. "It's not going to be that easy." Klaus said instead. "I mean, he is the biggest, baddest vampire around."

"Alaric has a point." Damon said. "I mean, what if he…." He suddenly rushed at Bonnie but she threw him to the other side of the room with her powers.

"Well, I was impressed." Stefan said.

Klaus had to admit he was too, but he had more powerful witches than this young thing.

"It doesn't matter if he's an Original." Bonnie said. "I can take down anyone who comes at me. I can kill him, Elena. I know I can."

Klaus almost rolled his eyes, but Buffy asked, "What about the curse?" Her voice, though quiet and distant with grief, was almost like an angel's: Powerful and beautiful and ringing. How did these lesser beings not bow down to her when she graced them with her presence, let alone her voice?

Bonnie sighed. "Without Willow's help…. I…. I can't do the curse. I don't have this Orb thing that Dawn was talking about…."

"The Orb of Thesulah." Buffy whispered. "I don't have one…. But I know where I can get one."

"And the spell…. Buffy…. It's gypsy magic. I've never…. It's powerful."

"Then we'll get a hold of Willow and she can walk you through it." Dawn said. "You can channel those dead witches for the spell to kill Klaus, then you can channel them for the spell to restore Angel. Trust me, ok? Angelus is not someone you want to be running loose out there. You'll want to do everything in your power to stop him."

"What about killing him?" Klaus asked. Maybe he'd get to kill two birds with one stone….

"I can't." Buffy said. "Angel doesn't deserve that for what Klaus did."

That surprised Klaus. Maybe he'd use a meaner tactic…. "So, you're just going to let him roam free until you're ready to take him on? Like last time? Great plan." His people had done a very thorough background search on Buffy, so he was armed with a fair amount of information.

"Hey!" Damon stood up and blocked Buffy from Klaus's view. "You need to back off."

"He's right." Buffy said, standing up. Wow, he'd thought she'd be taller from all the stories. "I can't let that happen. So I need to come up with a plan." She sighed. "Angelus will come to the dance because Klaus and I will both be there. I'll bet you anything Klaus has compelled Angelus."

It was the only way to get that insolent vampire to help him. "So what's your plan then?" Klaus asked.

"I…. I don't know yet. But I'll have one by tonight." Buffy walked out of the room. Klaus liked the view of her walking away.

"What is your deal?" Damon snapped at him as he followed Buffy out.

Oh…. He had competition. He'd been misinformed that Buffy was involved with Damon. No matter. He was more powerful than Damon was and…. He thought…. A hell of a lot more handsome.

"I've got some things to do for the dance this evening." Klaus said. "I'll see you there." He turned and headed out. When the door closed behind him, he took a deep breath before getting into Alaric's car. The Slayer was exquisite. He had to make her his, one way or another.

* * *

Angelus was lounging on the couch in the dark when Klaus in Alaric's body walked into the apartment. Katherine was probably in the bedroom where she usually hid.

"You're an idiot." Klaus said.

"Not the first time I've been called that." Angelus said, glancing over at Klaus.

"Why ever would you want to kill that exquisite creature?"

Angelus rolled his eyes. "How did she get to you? Bat her eyes? Offer to open her legs for you? And here I thought she was stuck up Damon's ass."

Klaus kicked Angelus in the face. "Don't you dare talk about her that way! You should be kneeling at her feet begging for her to love you back."

"And what makes you think that she'd have anything to do with you? Did you forget that you're the one that released me and killed her Watcher? You're making Elena's life a living hell…. You want to kill her…. And Buffy sees that girl as a little sister." Angelus chuckled. "You don't stand a chance and you can't compel her."

Klaus laughed. "I don't need to compel her. I'll just offer her everything she's ever wanted." He stood up. "Make yourself presentable. You're going to a dance this evening."

* * *

Two days later, Klaus, still in Alaric's body, stood in the Gilbert kitchen with Buffy, Stefan, and Jenna sitting at the table in front of him. He'd killed their little witch Bonnie by overloading her powers. Klaus chopped the food on the counter in front of him with a big knife.

"You know, I find chopping…. Calming." Klaus said. "The feel of the blade in the hand, maybe?"

"I'm still waiting for someone to tell me what the hell's going on." Jenna said.

"Well, would either of you like to tell her? Or should I?"

"Tell me what?"

"Do you believe in vampires, Jenna? No?" He laughed at her astounded expression. Buffy's beautiful face was passive, but her eyes blazed with anger. "Well, who does, right? But believe it or not, they do have a place in our history. And as a history teacher, I find them fascinating."

"Why are we talking about this?"

"Well, you've been angry with me for keeping secrets, and this is one of my secrets. I'm obsessed with vampires. There. I said it."

"Are you joking?"

"Not at all. How about you, Stefan? Are you a fan of vampires?"

"In literature." Stefan answered. "Bram Stoker. It's dense, but I appreciate it."

Klaus looked forward to this one. "Buffy?"

"Only when there's a stake through the bad vampire's heart." Buffy snarled. Oh, the spunk! He loved it!

"Hmm. Did you know that vampires are the oldest creatures of the night? Except for werewolves, of course."

"Werewolves." Jenna said. "Werewolves. Now I know you're joking."

"You know, I've read that there's an Aztec curse on both species that keeps werewolves slaves to the Moon and vampires bound by the Sun. Isn't that right, Buffy?" He just couldn't take his eyes off of her. "You know, they say these creatures would do anything to have this curse broken and that they wouldn't care who they had to kill to do it. Oh, I know this all sounds so crazy, but…. vampires are real. Would you care for some more wine?"

"Get out." Jenna said.

"Excuse me?"

"I don't know what it is you're trying to do or why you're saying these things, but…."

"Jenna…."

"I said get out!"

Buffy stood up and Klaus almost shuddered at the power that radiated off of her. "You heard her."  
"I'm afraid I don't want to."

"Fine! I'll go." Jenna got up to leave.

Klaus grabbed the knife and held it menacingly at Jenna. "You're not going anywhere."

Buffy was suddenly standing in front of Klaus. He barely had time to register it before she hauled him off his feet by his neck and threw him over the island to crash against the far wall like he was a rag doll. Before Klaus could move, Stefan was there. He took the knife from Klaus and shoved it against his throat.

"Buffy! Stefan!" Jenna cried as everything happened. Klaus just smiled.  
"Jenna, get out of here now!" Buffy said, blocking Jenna from Klaus.

"You can't kill me, Stefan." Klaus taunted.

"Watch me!" Stefan growled.

"Stefan!" Jenna cried.

"I may not have a witch protecting me today, but if you kill this body, what's to stop me from choosing Jenna as my next one?" Klaus asked.

Buffy moved into a defensive crouch in front of Jenna and Klaus smirked, his eyebrow lifting in approval at the muscles under her silken skin and the deadly grace she promised with the bunching of those muscles. "Jenna, let's go."

"But you're…."

Stefan turned and looked at Jenna with his vampire face in full view. "Go!" Jenna moved closer to Buffy, but she didn't leave.

Klaus smirked. "Kill me." He said. "Just remind Elena how easy it will be for me to get my revenge if she tries to stop me from breaking this curse." Stefan tossed Klaus to Buffy. The petite Slayer had no problem catching his weight out of mid-air. She kept the momentum going and punched Klaus hard in the face. She probably broke something in the teacher's face. Klaus landed on the floor and Buffy violently kicked him in the stomach. Broken ribs for sure. His witches were going to be angry with him.

"That's for Angel." Buffy hissed as Stefan grabbed Jenna and pulled her towards the door.

"You won't get him back." Klaus coughed, rolling painfully to his side. He couldn't wait to get his body back.

Buffy looked down at him coldly. "Watch me."

"I have powerful witches on my side." He threatened.

"Yeah? I don't need the plural cause I've got the one." Oh yes…. Willow. He'd forgotten about that little tid bit. "Be afraid, Klaus. The big bad witch is teaming up with the big bad Slayer again." Buffy turned and walked out with Jenna and Stefan. Despite the pain, Klaus still loved watching her leave. He wasn't too happy about the intervention with Jenna, though. Buffy was getting dangerous again and he needed a better distraction.

With a sigh, he pulled out his cell phone and called Angelus's cell phone. "Go after the sister. Take her out, too." He hung up. It was really time to get out of this fragile mortal body and back into his.

* * *

Klaus sat at the Grill two days later in his own body. The full moon was that night and things were in place for the ritual. Buffy had proved to be more difficult that he'd thought. Willow had been in the car with Dawn and she'd kept Dawn from dying and she'd managed to capture Angelus. That last part would be taken care of. He'd compel a human to go in and release Angelus later. Angelus would prove useful in luring Buffy into his trap that evening.

At the moment, he wanted to properly introduce himself to Buffy. He watched the Slayer and Damon closely. She was watching her boyfriend pick at his food and sulk. After a minute, she sighed and got up, moving over to Damon's side of the booth and sliding in next to him. She set her chin on his shoulder and looked at him with those gorgeous eyes.

"Don't start with that creepy little stare of yours." Damon said.

"Then stop pouting." Buffy said.

"I'm not pouting."

"You're so pouting."

"Go eat your food."

"I'm finished." She grabbed a French fry off his plate and popped it in her mouth.

When she went for another one, Damon grabbed her hand and pulled it to his lips to kiss her fingertips. "Stop eating my food." Klaus rolled his eyes and stood up, making his way to their table.

"Someone's gotta do it." She grabbed another fry with her free hand and ate it. Damon smiled slightly and shook his head. It was obvious they were in love. It was really too bad that Klaus would be taking her away shortly. That made him smirk as he slid into Buffy's vacated seat.

"Well, aren't you two just adorable?" Buffy and Damon's attention was suddenly on Klaus sitting across from them.

"Ugh." Damon groaned. "Klaus, I presume."

"In the flesh." Klaus said, keeping his eyes on Buffy.

Buffy grunted in surprise. "Wow, didn't expect you to look so…. Handsome."

Damon shot a glare at her and Klaus smiled. That wasn't what he'd expected from her, but she was good at surprising him. "Careful, Buffy." He warned playfully. "Your boyfriend's got enough jealousy to deal with. How is Angelus, by the way? He hasn't come back to me yet."

"He's locked up nice and tight." Buffy snapped. "So, other than the jealousy ploy, is there any other reason you stopped by to say hi?"

Klaus nodded, the smirk still on his face. She was feisty. "Just thought I'd remind you all to not do anything you'll regret with my doppelganger."

"Ha!" Damon laughed. "Thanks for the advice. I don't suppose I could talk you into a postponement, by any chance, huh?"

"You are kidding." Klaus looked at Buffy. "He is kidding, right?"

"No, not really." Buffy said.

"I mean, come on, what's one month in the whole grand scheme of things?" Damon asked.

Another month of dealing with Angelus and Katherine bickering and trying to ward off this powerful Slayer and her friends? He'd rather stake himself! "Let me be clear…. I have my vampire. I have my werewolf. I have everything I need. The ritual will happen tonight. So if you want to live to see tomorrow, don't screw it up." Klaus smiled at Buffy and took her free hand in his, brushing the lightest of kisses on her incredibly soft knuckles as he stood up from the booth. The gesture worked. Buffy blushed slightly and Damon glared at him. Klaus smiled to himself as he left the Grill.

The sun would be down soon enough. Klaus needed Angelus free. He pulled out his cell phone and called one of his witches. "He's in the Salvatore's basement. Try not to get caught like the last one. And make sure he knows to come to me once he's free." He hung up the phone and headed back towards the apartment to wait for Angelus and get Katherine to do her part and lure Jenna out.

* * *

Klaus admired the scene in the clearing by the falls. Elena was surrounded by a ring of fire and Jenna was sitting on the ground next to Elena surrounded by her own ring of fire. Angelus was waiting just inside the tree line for Buffy. He'd made sure his scent from the house led straight to this place. Almost on cue, Buffy run into the clearing.

"Buffy!" Elena cried.

The flames flared and Buffy was thrown back when she tried to get to Elena through them. Klaus was happy the trap worked from both sides. He watched Buffy land on her back. "Ow!" She yelped.

"What are you doing here?" Elena asked.

"Following Angelus' trail." Buffy said, getting to her feet.

"He's locked up."

"Klaus somehow set him free. What's Jenna doing here? Oh god…." Klaus was impressed. Buffy realized right off that Jenna was no longer human.

"She's the vampire sacrifice." Elena said sadly.

"Oh, Jenna…." Buffy looked around and spotted Greta standing by a group of rocks. "Who's that?"

"That's Greta."

"The Martins' long lost family member?" Elena nodded. "She wasn't ever really lost, was she?" Klaus was becoming even more impressed with Buffy. She had an uncanny ability to put situations together quickly.

"No. She's with Klaus."

Klaus smirked slightly as Angelus came out of the tree line to stand a few feet behind Buffy. Now the show could really begin. Though she had to know he was there, Buffy didn't turn around. In fact…. She looked annoyed.

"Hello, lover." Angelus said. "You should really get those locks reinforced. They're not very strong."

"I'll have to remember that." Buffy said, turning around. "So what's on the menu tonight?"

"You."

Greta waved her hands and a ring of fire formed around Buffy and Angelus. Buffy turned to look at Greta. "Klaus doesn't want any interference from you, Slayer." Greta said. "Angelus will keep you busy while the ritual happens."

"What about after?" Buffy asked.

"That's for Klaus to decide." Greta turned and Angelus attacked.

"Buffy!" Elena and Jenna cried.

Buffy managed to dodge the mystical flames and roll away from Angelus at the same time. She came up, leaving her leather jacket in Angelus's hands, and turned quickly. She was faster than Klaus had thought she would be. Angelus laughed and tossed the jacket to the side. He charged at her again, but Buffy was faster.

"I've got eternity to play this out, Buff." Angelus taunted.

"So do I." Buffy said.

"Not if I kill you first."

So…. Buffy knew about Slayers being immortal. Well, she had been the Slayer for quite some time. She was bound to notice she wasn't aging. The more he saw from this woman, the more he liked her. Making her his would prove to be a fun game. For now he wanted to see how she fought Angelus.

Buffy kicked Angelus in the stomach as he charged her again. He doubled over and she slammed her elbow onto his neck, knocking him to the ground. She landed a brutal kick at his stomach, but he grabbed her ankle and twisted. She flipped in midair and landed on her back. Klaus smelled the blood from her arms and the scent was intoxicating. She must've landed on rocks to cut her arms.

Angelus moved to kick her, but, despite the obvious pain and struggle to breathe, she kicked him hard in the kneecap. He went down and Buffy rolled to her hands and knees and coughed, trying to catch her breath. Angelus moved towards her again and Klaus was sure he had her this time, but she dropped down and flattened herself on the ground. Angelus sailed over head and Klaus bit back a laugh. She rolled in the opposite direction and jumped to her feet.

Why didn't she just stake him and save her some trouble? Instead, she just danced around Angelus, keeping clear of the circle of flames around them. Angelus obviously had enough and he rushed at her. She went down under his weight and Elena screamed Buffy's name. Klaus found himself a little worried, but Buffy used Angelus's forward momentum and rolled onto her back, planted her knee between their bodies, and kicked up. Angelus went flying into the mystical flames and slammed into the barrier where he landed on his head. The moron was unconscious.

"Are you ok?" Jenna called.

"Peachy. But I need to get out of this circle." Buffy said through, dusting the rocks off her arms. "How are you feeling?"

"I feel like myself…. Only not." Jenna shook her head. "Everything is brighter. The fire's hotter. Part of me is terrified, but there's another part of me that doesn't want to feel anything."

"Your type of vampire can turn off the part that's human. That's the part that hurts."

"I'm gonna die, aren't I?"

"No!" Elena cried. "Jenna, I'm not going to let that happen. I don't care what I have to do."

They heard someone screaming. "Who's that?" Jenna asked.

"That must be the werewolf." Elena said.

Greta arrived with Jules in tow and threw her on the ground. "What's happening to me?" Jules cried.

"I cast a spell to slow down your transformation." Greta said. "Your insides are trying to tear themselves free." She created a fourth circle of fire around Jules.

"Witches are supposed to maintain the balance in nature." Elena said. "It's your duty to them to keep this curse sealed."

"My duty is to Klaus! The new order."

Klaus took that as his cue and walked out of his hiding spot. "Glad to know I still have a dance partner." He looked at Elena, Jenna, and Jules. "Hello, my lovelies. Are we ready?" He turned to Buffy. "Ah, Buffy. He said you were a sucker for traps. How do you like mine?"

"Not very original for an Original." Buffy said.

Klaus nodded, chuckling. She had spirit. "Well, most traps aren't, my dear." He strolled over to her, walking through the magical barrier with no problem. Good job Greta. "I like you, Buffy." He moved behind her and reached out to stroke her hair. It was impossibly soft and smelled like vanilla and sunshine. She kept still under his touch and that frustrated Klaus a bit. She wasn't melting like most women. "I think I might keep you after this is all over." He glanced at Angelus. "If he doesn't kill you first."

Buffy turned and looked him in the eye. "You may be handsome and powerful…. And don't get me wrong, I'm flattered…. Really…. But I'm a one vampire kinda gal and that spot's already filled."

Klaus laughed and leaned into her. He placed his lips against her ear and whispered, "We'll see." He turned to Greta, walking over to her through the barrier and handed her the moonstone from his pocket. "I spent 500 years looking for this. I hate to part with it."

"The moon has passed its apex." Greta said. "Remember everything you need to do?"

"I remember."

Greta threw the moonstone in a stone bowl and it exploded.

Behind them, Jules said to Buffy, "Everything I did…. I was just trying to help Tyler."

"Save it." Buffy snapped, much to Klaus's surprise. "You I don't really care if Klaus sacrifices." Such venomous words! He turned around to watch the exchange between Slayer and werewolf.

"I didn't want him to be alone!"

"So torturing Damon and killing Rose was all helping Tyler? Stabbing me in the gut while I was knocked out on tranquilizers that _you_ shot me with was helping Tyler? Go to hell, Jules."

Klaus walked over to Jules with a smile. "The Slayer has spoken. Shall we?" The circle of fire disappeared around Jules and Greta's spell wore off. Jules started to transform and she tried to run, but Klaus caught her by the throat, shoving his hand in her chest and ripping her heart out. He kept his eyes locked on Buffy's the entire time. She showed no emotion whatsoever, though Jenna and Elena both gasped and looked away.

Angelus groaned behind Buffy and she broke eye contact with Klaus to turn and look at Angelus. Klaus took the heart and walked over to Greta and her stone bowl. He held the heart above the bowl so the blood poured into the bowl over the ashes of the moonstone just like his witch had directed.

"Tell me it's working." He said.

"It's working." Greta said.

"Thanks for the rest, Buff." Angelus said. Obviously he'd recovered from his run in with the barrier and Buffy. "Shall we continue?" Klaus heard Buffy sigh in annoyance as Angleus jumped at her.

Klaus took a moment to look at Buffy fighting as he walked over to Jenna's circle. "Hello, Jenna."

"Let her go. I understand that I have to die, but she doesn't!" Elena begged. She got too close to the fire and it flared up, keeping her back.

"Careful." Klaus chided.

"Elena, don't!" Jenna cried.

"No, Jenna! We can't leave Jeremy without a family." Elena looked at Klaus. "I followed your rules! I did everything that you asked. I didn't run. Please."

Klaus stopped listening when he felt Stefan's presence appear in the clearing. "Well, well…. I don't recall you being on the guest list." Stefan stood at the top of the cliff. When Buffy glanced up, Angelus used the distraction and tried to sweep Buffy's feet out from under her, but she moved too quickly and was out of his reach in the blink of an eye.

"I'm here to talk." Stefan said.

"Very well, then." Klaus glanced at Buffy and Angelus and joined Stefan at the top of the cliff. "What can I do for you, Mr. Salvatore?"

"You don't need to kill Jenna. I'll take her place."

"Oh, I don't know. I rather appreciate the symmetry of three women… Three goddesses…. Sacrificed at nature's altar."

"Don't play games with me. You'll get what you want."

"You're quite the hero, aren't you? I've heard that about you."

"Just make the trade. Me for Jenna."

Klaus eyed Stefan for a moment. "Follow me." He led the way back down to the fire circles. Buffy was still fighting Angelus, but she was distracted by what was happening with Stefan. "Quite the predicament. You know, it's funny…. All this talk about preserving family and here's Stefan…. Granting your wish."  
"Stefan…." Elena started.

"It's ok." Stefan said. "Buffy, are you all right?"

"Oh yeah. This fending off a psycho killer is fun." Buffy kicked Angelus is the head. "You should try it some time." Stefan smiled as Buffy sent Angelus into an airborne flip across their circle.

"Well," Klaus said. "Who's it going to be, Elena?"

"No." Elena cried.

"Oh, don't worry. There's actually no choice." Klaus pulled a stake from his jacket pocket and shoved it in Stefan's back.

"No! Stefan! No!" Elena screamed.

Buffy turned to see if Stefan was ok and Angelus grabbed her from behind in an awkward choke hold.

"I have other plans for your boyfriend." Klaus said. "I want him alive. But for now…." He punched Stefan and knocked him to the ground. "Whenever you're ready, Greta." The circle of fire around Jenna disappeared and Klaus turned his attention to her. As much as he wanted Buffy, this was no time to keep his attention on her. Not when his hour was at hand. "Your turn."

"No, Jenna, no!" Elena cried.

Jenna looked at Elena. "It's alright, Elena. I know what I have to do." Jenna rushed over to Greta and bit her neck, but Klaus moved with his vampiric speed and shoved the broken stake into her side. Jenna fell on the ground.

"Just turn it off." Elena sobbed. "Jenna. Turn it off. You won't be scared anymore."

Jenna looked at Buffy. "Take care of Elena and Jeremy. For me."

Klaus rolled his eyes and staked Jenna through the heart.

"No! Jenna! No! Jenna! No!" Elena screamed as Jenna let go of her last breath and then began to decay.

Buffy struggled against Angelus as he laughed and said, "Poor, Buff…. People should really think twice before they become friends with you. They all seem to wind up dead." Klaus turned just in time to see Buffy kick backwards and nail Angelus in the crotch. He doubled over in pain, still holding onto Buffy, but his grip loosened enough that she could drop down and away and kick Angelus backwards.

"It's time." Klaus said to Elena, walking over to her. The circle of fire disappeared around Elena and he held his hand towards her. She didn't take it, but marched on her own to the altar. Klaus moved up to Elena and gently turned her face towards him. "Thank you, Elena." He said.

"Go to hell." Elena said.

Klaus moved behind her, let his fangs drop, and bit into her neck, drinking deeply.

"Elena!" Buffy screamed, punching at the barrier in front of her.

Klaus released Elena as her eyes rolled up into her head and she fell to the ground, dead.

"Elena!" Buffy screamed, still punching at the barrier.

Angelus grabbed Buffy by the hair and slammed her onto the ground. "Buffy!" Stefan yelled.

The power coursed through his veins and he felt the change coming upon him. "I can feel it." Klaus said. "It's happening. Yes, yes!" The wind suddenly picked up and lightening began to strike as the bones in his body started to break and form a new shape. One bolt hit Klaus in the chest and threw him back. This wasn't part of the plan. Klaus noticed that Bonnie and Willow had arrived and Damon had just snapped Greta's neck. "You were dead!" Klaus screamed at Bonnie.

The fire circle around Buffy and Angelus died away and Damon rushed over to her. She ignored him as she got back on her feet and fought Angelus off. All around them the fires of the torches raged and the lightning struck and the wind swirled. Klaus was screaming from the pain Bonnie was inflicting on him with her powers and from the pain his own body was inflicting on him as he changed into a wolf.

To his utter surprise, Elijah calmly walked up and knelt down by Klaus. "Elijah?" He asked in disbelief.

"Hello, brother." Elijah shoved his fist through Klaus's chest and held onto his heart. Klaus writhed in pain. "In the name of our family, Nicklaus…."

This wasn't happening! "I didn't bury them at sea! Their bodies are safe. If you kill me, you'll never find them." It was the one thing he knew that Elijah wanted most and he was willing to use it to bargain for his life.

"Elijah! Don't listen to him!" Stefan cried.

"I can take you to them. I give you my word…. Brother." Klaus said.

"Do it or I'll take you both out." Bonnie warned.

"You'll die." Elijah said.

"I don't care."

"I'm sorry." Klaus took one last look at Buffy before Elijah swept him away. Soon, Buffy. Soon you will be mine.


	4. She Did Something Kinda Crazy

She Did Something Kinda Crazy

Spike stood outside of Angel's basement door at the Hyperion and shook his head. This was not going to be pretty. He sighed and walked in. The ponce was sitting at his desk reading a book. He glanced up at Spike's arrival and set the book down. "That was fast." He said, walking out of the office.

"Yeah." Spike said.

"Where is she?" Angel looked behind Spike, scanning for Buffy.

"Mystic Falls. Where else?" Spike walked into the office and poured himself a glass of vintage scotch.

"You were supposed to bring her back with you!"

"You know damn well I can't make her do anything she doesn't want to."

"You swore you could convince her to come to LA."

"If you couldn't, what in the hell made you think I could? I was just saying that bullocks just to shut you up."

"Spike!"

Spike took a moment to savor the amber liquid before saying, "He's not a bad bloke."

"Damon?"

"Yeah. He loves her. And she sure as hell loves him."

Angel sighed. "I know all of that. But he's not good enough for her."

"And we are? You're the world's most notorious serial killer and I'm your progeny. I tried to rape the bird once, your other half has tried to kill her more than once. Damon's never done any of that to her."

"He killed her best friend."

"That was before she really knew him and she's had a chance to say goodbye since then."

"He's still a vampire."

"Pot, kettle." Spike sighed and lit up a cigarette. "Look, she's happy. Let her be."

"How is she at least?"

"Engaged."

"Engaged?"

"Betrothed? Headed for the alter? To be married?"

"To Damon?"

"To the Dali Lama." Spike rolled his eyes. "She's got a big shiny ring to prove it to the world. Oh, and she's been hanging with an interesting crowd. That Klaus bloke you all were up in arms about…. His entire family is there."

"The rest of the Originals are awake?"

"Sure. Even the mum."

Angel shook his head. "She was human and she's been dead for over a thousand years."

Spike shrugged. "She got over it."

"I need to call Buffy."

"Would you leave her alone? She's got a lot on her plate. She doesn't need you bleating at her too."

"You have no idea what that family is capable of. She may need my help."

"She's got enough help now."

"What does that mean?"

"Let's just say she's had a power boost since you last saw her."

"Speak English, Spike!"

"She did something kinda crazy. She's not _just_ a Slayer anymore."

"Get to the point!"

"She made Damon turn her."

"No."

"She's a…."

"No! Stop talking!" Angel backhanded Spike across the office.

Spike smiled and stood up. "I knew you'd be pissed."

"Why would he do that? How could he!"

"She didn't give him much of a choice from what I gathered."

"He had plenty of choice. He could've said no! Why would she do this?"

"Have you met any of that family? If I could get a power boost, I would too."

"Did you forget I was with Klaus for a while? And Rebekah lived at the house with us while I was there. I know exactly what that family is like."

"Then you know why she did what she did. She's pretty strong now. Her eyes are different though…. They kind of glow…."

"I don't care. She's a vampire."

"It's not like she's a vampire like us. She's one of them. She still has her soul. She's still Buffy…. In all her bossy Slayer glory…."

"Go away, Spike." Angel turned and headed upstairs to his room.

Spike shook his head. That hadn't been as fun as he'd imagined it would be.

* * *

Angel paced his room, not knowing what to do. The love of his life was now a vampire. She drank blood to survive. She could be killed with a stake or sunlight. Ok, maybe not sunlight since she probably had a ring. An engagement ring. He sat down and sighed. Why were the Powers against him? His soul was permanent, but she was in love with someone else. She was marrying someone else. Maybe he had waited too long. Or maybe he just wasn't meant to be happy even with a permanent soul. He was a champion for the Powers That Be. Maybe his problem was he spent so much time fighting the forces of darkness, he hadn't fought hard enough for love. And now that one love was gone forever.

He sighed again. No. Not gone forever. Here forever…. As a vampire. He had to check on her. He stood up and grabbed the laptop he'd bought. Spike had convinced him it would be a good idea. Dawn had introduced him to something called Skype and Buffy seemed to like using it better than a telephone. Angel had to admit it was nicer to be able to see who he was talking to.

After fumbling around with the computer for a few minutes, he finally managed to bring Skype up. Another few minutes and he finally managed to place the call to Buffy.

To his surprise, she answered after only a couple of rings. "It's a miracle. You use advanced technology." She said. His aversion to all things tech was a running joke among his friends.

"I didn't expect you to pick up." Angel said, looking at the little camera hole Dawn had pointed out.

"I considered not, but it's been a hell of a day and Damon's not here right now."

"Where's he at?"

"Out with Stefan."

Angel nodded. She was being vague about where he was which usually meant nothing good. "Are you mad at him?"

"No. Not at him. Just the whole messed up situation du jour."

"Are you ok?"

Buffy sighed. "I'll live. So…. Have you talked to Spike?"

"Yes I have."

"On a scale of one to ten, how mad are you?"

"Seventeen."

"Geez! How much did he tell you?"

"_All_ of it. And for now I'm skipping over the being engaged and becoming a vampire part and going straight to the part where the entire Original Family is back. How's that going?"

"Well…. So far Esther wants to kill her entire family and they don't want to be killed. It's a bit of a family feud thing. And Klaus is still obsessed with me."

"Are you sure you're ok?" He asked again.  
"I'm fine. Just a really bad day. Thank you for not blowing up at me."

"I can't lie and say that I'm ok with you becoming a vampire. I'm not. I punched Spike for being the messenger of _that _news."

"Angel!"

"But…. I've been in your shoes and if I would've had a way to get more power to protect the ones I love…. I wouldn't have hesitated. I know I don't like Damon…."

"Hate is the word I think you were going for."

Angel smirked. "Yeah…. I know I hate Damon, but I believe in you. I think you'll handle this new super-powerful vampire thing pretty well."

"Well, I'm still pretty emotional. It's sometimes really hard to get that in check. And my strength still surprises me, but it's not as bad as my first week. I broke Damon's hand and we pretty much had to buy a new set of glasses because I destroyed all of ours."

Angel laughed slightly. He could understand that. Having been a newborn vampire himself over 250 years before, he remembered the confusion with the new strength. "You'll get the hang of it in no time. You're pretty good that way."

"Thanks."

"I know what the answer is going to be, but I still have to ask…. Do you need me to come back and help with everything?"

Buffy smiled. "Thank you, but no. Things do tend to get a little crazy out here, but it's nothing I can't handle. It's definitely not any worse than Sunnydale." She looked up suddenly and Angel realized Damon must be home. "I'll talk to you later, ok?"

"Bye, Buffy."

Buffy shut the laptop, ending their Skype session. Angel nodded. She did look good and her eyes were glowing a bit. The ring he'd noticed on her finger was understated but beautiful and sparkly…. Like her. He hated to admit it, but Damon knew her well to buy her a ring like that. Maybe she was ok after all.


	5. Love or Obsession At First Sight?

Love or Obsession At First Sight?

Damon strolled into his house and pocketed his keys. As he was passing the library, he noticed a movement from in there. He figured it was probably Stefan since Stefan was the only other one that lived here. But something made him head towards the door of the library. He tossed his jacket over the stair railing and walked into the library. To his surprise, it wasn't Stefan.

It was a girl.

She was short with long blonde hair that hung down her back. It was wet. She was in pair of jean shorts and a hot pink tank top. All of which clung to her lean, dancer's body. From behind she was sexy as hell. He watched for her a moment, admiring the way her muscles moved under the creamy porcelain skin. She wandered the library looking at the paintings and poking at some of the old books on the shelves.

Finally his curiosity won out. "Who are you and why are you in my house?"

The girl spun around and he was completely bowled over by the amazing set of greenish-blue eyes fixed on him. He'd never seen her in his life because he was sure he would remember someone as gorgeous as her.

"Hi." She said. Her voice sounded…. Heavenly. "Sorry, uh…. Stefan said we could explore while we waited for him."

"Uh huh." Damon had to fight off blinking rapidly to make sure she was real. "Friends of my brother's?"

"Yes. Well, I just met him. But Lexi knows him." She was blushing slightly which only made her seem to glow. God…. She smelled amazing!

"You know Lexi?"

"Yup. Sorry…. I'm Buffy." What kind of name was that? "You must be Damon."

Figures. If she knew Lexi, then she was bound to have heard about him. "So Stefan and Lexi talked about me? All bad I hope."

"Yeah, they mentioned you were like that."

What did that mean? He found himself suddenly wanting to touch her. She smelled so good! He moved faster than the human eye could track to stand right in front of her, but to his utter amazement and complete surprise, she wasn't standing where she'd been a split second ago. He turned and found her standing across the room. Now his curiosity was really piqued.

"Vampire?" Damon asked.

"Vampire Slayer." Buffy answered.

Really? "They don't usually move that fast."

"Well, I'm not exactly new at the game."

"Really now?"

"Thirteen years give or take."

That seemed highly unlikely given what he knew about Slayers. "You don't look a day over 18."

Buffy shrugged. "Apparently Slayers don't age."

Another surprise. "Most of them don't live long enough to find out if it's true."

"I have."

Damon nodded. He liked her already. "You're prettier than the ones I've met."

"Thanks?"

"You're welcome." Damon took a few steps towards her just to see what she would do. Buffy held her ground. He smiled and changed topics. "So Lexi's here?"

"Yes. We got in this morning. She's sleeping."

"Why aren't you?"

"Insomnia."

Damon nodded and walked out of the library. He was pleasantly surprised that she followed. "How old are you?"

"28."

As they made their way upstairs to Stefan's room at a pace that would've made any normal human uncomfortable, Damon kept stealing glances at her. She was graceful and stealthy. Deadly seemed to be the right word. Like a white tiger or a snow leopard. He walked into Stefan's room and slid onto the bed next to Lexi. She stirred and looked up at him while Buffy stood on the other side of the bed from him.

"Boo." Lexi groaned in annoyance at him. "Hello Lexi . What an unexpected surprise."

"Unexpected surprise?" Lexi said, sitting up. "I think the wrong brother went back to high school."

"How long you here for?" It was more like 'how long do I have to try and seduce your friend'.

"Just for Stefan's BDay."

"You mean you didn't come all this way to see me?"

"That's it, Damon." Lexi said sarcastically. "After a century I finally realized death means nothing without you. Do me."

"Why are you so mean to me?"

"Have you met you? You're not a nice person."

"Because I'm a vampire."

"But you're only the bad parts."

Damon leaned into her and got a little too close for Lexi's comfort. "Teach me to be good."

Lexi grabbed Damon by the neck and slammed him against the mattress. "I'm older and that means stronger."

"Sorry." He choked out.

"Don't ruin my time with Stefan cause I'll hurt you and you know I can do it."

"Yeah."

"And don't touch Buffy."

"Take all my fun."

"She'll rip you to pieces before you could blink."

Damon glanced at Buffy and she smiled at him. "I won't touch her if she doesn't want me to."

Lexi rolled her eyes. "Trust me…. She doesn't want you to." She looked at Buffy and released Damon. "Has he been bugging you?"

"Nope." Buffy said. She stole a glance at him as he made his way to the door. Damon smirked at her as Lexi said, "You look cute."

"Thanks. I borrowed one of your tanks. I hope that's ok."

"It looks good on you. Keep it."

"You've got to stop doing that. I've got no room for your clothes and mine."

Lexi shrugged. "Then you should stop borrowing my clothes and making them look better than me."

Buffy rolled her eyes. "Right."

Damon decided to admire the petite blonde for a moment longer before slipping out. She was…. Exceptional. He was going to make her his one way or another. Besides, he'd never had a vampire Slayer before. And by the sneaky looks he'd caught from her, she was attracted to him as well. This was going to be fun.


	6. Transition

Transition

"What happened?" Damon demanded when they walked through the door of their house. "I don't understand! What happened!?" He poured himself a drink as he yelled, "We thought of everything! Klaus having hybrids, Mikael turning on us, we brought in Katherine so Elena wasn't in danger! Anything that could've gone wrong, we were prepared. But Stefan! He wanted Klaus dead more than anything. I had him, Buffy! I had Klaus! This could've all been over!" He threw his glass into the fire and it flared up. "And where the hell were you?"

"Damon!" Buffy touched his shoulder, but he shrugged her off. "Hey! Damon, listen to me. Damon!" He stopped and looked at her. "You would've died."

"What?"

"Klaus…. He told his hybrids that if he died, you were to be killed too."

"You would've stopped them."

"I'm happy that you have that much faith in me, but…. I couldn't have stopped that many by myself. Klaus was right…. I may be good, but I'm not that good. There were too many of them. Even for the both of us."

"How do you know this?"

"Klaus grabbed me when I walked out of the office. He told me about what he had done to make sure he survived. Katherine told Stefan since Klaus told her too…. Thinking she was Elena."

"Stefan saved me."

"Yes. Stefan came to me with his plan. He knew I would've stopped him."

"Klaus is going to come after us. He's going to retaliate for this."

"I know."

Damon shook his head, despair in his eyes. "We can't take him on. He can't die. He'll just keep coming."

"We'll survive." Buffy took his face between her hands. "We'll survive this." Her phone started ringing and she grabbed it. "What?"

"I'm just calling to say goodbye." Katherine said on the other line.

"Are you going back into hiding?"

"At least my life's not boring. Bye, Buffy."

"Take care of yourself, Katherine." Buffy hung up and looked back at Damon. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault." Buffy hugged him tightly. Damon sighed against her hair. "What are we going to do now?"

"I think it's time to bring out my plan B."

"Plan B?"

"Remember what we said just before you gave Elena your blood to save her from the sacrifice?"

Damon looked down at her. He didn't have to think very hard to remember that particular conversation. "Are you serious?"

"'Making a Slayer would be like making an Original.' We can't trust any of the other Originals. But we need someone as powerful as they are." He let go of her and walked away a few steps. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know if I can do it."

"Why?"

"This was meant as a last resort."

Buffy moved up behind him and hugged his waist, laying her head against his back. "We're at our end here, Damon." He turned in her arms and held her to him. "Klaus will come for us and we need to be ready." She pulled back to look up at him. "I have to be able to protect you and Elena and Jeremy. I can't think of any other way." Damon stared at her for a long moment. "He'll take me away from you and I don't…. I _can't_ let that happen. I have to be able to fight for you. For Elena. For everyone. This is our family and we need to protect our family."

Damon nodded slightly and sliced open his wrist on his teeth. Buffy took in a few mouthfuls, refreshing the blood that was already in her system. With the most pained look Buffy had ever seen, Damon took her head between his hands. "I'll be ok." She said with a nervous, encouraging nod.

"I love you." Damon kissed her gently before looking away and twisting.

Buffy was suddenly enveloped in darkness. She couldn't hear anything and it was like her voice was swallowed up when she tried to speak. God…. Maybe Damon hadn't done it right. Maybe Slayers _couldn't_ be turned and he'd just permanently killed her. All those years of fighting for her life and she just handed hers over to her boyfriend who had no intention of killing her.

Suddenly the darkness turned into a blinding white. A figure made its way towards her and she tensed for a fight.

"I'm not going to hurt you." The figure said.

Tears pooled in Buffy's eyes at the sound of that voice. "Giles…." Giles stopped in front of her. "How…."

"You're not in transition yet, but you will be. This is, for all intents and purposes, a waiting room."

"Oh. Are you mad?"

"Am I making a cluck-cluck sound?"

"You could be, but this place is swallowing the sound."

"You wouldn't be able to hear us talking, then."

"Good point. So…. You're not mad?"

"You're doing what you have to do to protect your family." He held his arms out and Buffy tumbled into them, hugging him tightly.

"I miss you so much, Giles. I'm so sorry about what happened to you."

"It wasn't your fault."

"But it was. Klaus was trying to distract me…."

"Buffy, it wasn't your fault. Watchers are in danger just as much as Slayers are. We know what it means when we're chosen to watch over the Chosen One. I actually consider myself lucky to die before my Slayer."

Buffy chuckled. "I've beaten you to that finish line twice."

"Yes, well…. Permanently, you're not very good at that."

"I don't play by the rules."

"And that's why you're the best."

Buffy hugged Giles again. "I wish you could've met Elena."

"She seems like a wonderful young woman. You really are doing so good with her, Buffy."

"I'm worried that something bad will happen to her because of me. Like it did to you."

"Elena has become a daughter to you and you're now a very powerful vampire. You did that for her to protect her."

Buffy sighed. "I feel like I'm starting to fade. How much time do we have left?"

"Not much. You'll wake up soon."

She nodded. "What do you think of Damon?"

"He loves you."

"I knew that. What do _you_ think of him?"

"I think he's good for you. He pushes you to be your best and he doesn't ask anything of you in return except your love. It makes me happy to see you happy."

"I really miss you, Giles."

"I'm not far away." He wrapped her in his arms again and Buffy gasped.

Damon was kneeled on the floor beside the bed holding her hand. He jumped when she shot up suddenly, gasping for air. "Buffy!"

"God…." Buffy murmured, taking deep breaths. She suddenly smelled something incredibly delicious and looked over at Damon. He had gotten to his feet and was holding a blood bag.

"Here," He moved onto the bed next to her and handed her the bag.

Buffy grabbed it and it exploded in her hand, surprising both of them. She blinked rapidly, looking at Damon in a panic. "What happened?"

"Shh…." He soothed. "I'll be right back." Damon stood up and walked out of the room. Buffy crawled off the bed and looked at the mess. Those sheets and the comforter were ruined now. Probably the carpet, too. She felt so guilty and wanted to cry suddenly. Her breathing sped up as she tried not to cry. A small part of her brain told her to be rational. That her emotions were heightened and she shouldn't panic. "Buffy." Damon walked back in holding a glass filled with blood. "Hey, it's ok. You're back." He wiped away the tear that had escaped her eye.

"I'm sorry."

"It's ok. Your emotions…."

"I know! I know!" She took the glass from him and managed to get one good swallow down before the glass exploded in her hand. "Oh my god!" Damon reached out to check her hand and when she grabbed it, he yelped in pain. "Damon!"

"It's ok. I'm ok." He took his hand back from her as gently as he could and tried to flex it.

"I broke it!" Buffy started to cry and backed away from him. "Oh god…."

"Hey, I'm ok." Damon shook his hand as it healed. "I'm ok. Jeez, you're strong!"

"I hurt you…."

"I'm fine. It's healed. See?" He showed her his hand and flexed it. She refused to touch it.

"I made a mess…. Again."

"It's ok." Damon eyed the blood splatter on her clothes and on the rug and on the bed. "You need a shower."

"How long was I out?"

"Not long. A couple of hours."

She looked down at her feet. "I'm hungry."

"That's normal." He gently moved towards her and cupped her face. She became as still as a statue. "Shh…. It's ok. Don't panic." Damon leaned forward and gently kissed her lips. "You're ok. Let's get you out of these clothes and into the shower. Then we'll try again to get some blood in your system."

"I won't die?"

"I think you got enough down that you'll be ok while we take a shower." He stroked her face and she visibly calmed down, sighing even. Damon stored that information away for when she got emotional. "Come on." He took her hand and led her towards the bathroom. She refused to grip his hand and just let him hold it as she followed.

* * *

After their shower, Buffy wandered the house while Damon fixed her another glass of blood. She ventured into her training room and looked around. Despite it being dark, she could see everything perfectly. It was like her already good night vision had added a floodlight feature. Now that she was calmer, she could feel the strength in her muscles had increased exponentially. It's what she had wanted, but now that she actually had it…. It scared her. She'd only grasped the blood bag gently…. Or what she'd thought had been gentle…. And it had exploded. Same thing with the glass and Damon's hand.

Buffy sighed and pushed the punching bag as gently as she could. It swayed, but didn't get too wild. She smiled brightly. See? She could do this. She pushed it again, trying to use the same amount of force, but the bag snapped off the chain and slammed into the wall, knocking off some of the weapons displayed there and causing a loud clatter as they hit the floor.

"Guess I won't be training in here anymore." Buffy said to herself, looking sadly around her. At least she could still use the weapons.

"Everything ok?" Damon asked from the doorway.

"My strength is…. It's more than I thought it would be. More than regular Slayer-me hopped up on vampire blood."

"You'll get the hang of it." He held out a glass of blood. "Gently."

"I don't know what that is right now." She glanced at the mess of weapons around the punching bag.

"Here," Damon moved behind her and kissed her neck. He held the glass up in front of her and placed it on her open palm. Ever so gently, he closed her fingers around it and let her hand go. It didn't break, so Damon wrapped his arms around her waist and nuzzled her hair.

"You're distracting me."

"Yes."

She sighed and downed the glass of blood before handing it back to him quickly. "Why did you distract me?"

"You're calmer when I'm touching you." Buffy looked at him quizzically. "Back in the room, you were starting to panic and when I touched your face, you calmed down."

"You won't always be around to distract me."

"Baby steps." He kissed her neck again. "You'll get the hang of it. I promise."

* * *

A couple of days later, Buffy was sitting by herself in the dining room and staring out the window. She was stuck in the shadows since she didn't have a daylight ring, but from her vantage point she could look at the sun outside and still be able to sit in the dark. Now she knew how Angel and Spike felt. Except that Angel now had a daylight ring.

When her thoughts turned to Angel, she found herself getting incredibly pissed off. She allowed the heightened emotions to take over her for a moment. How dare he demand that she leave Damon for him? What was so hard to grasp that she loved Damon and didn't plan on leaving him any time soon? Or ever! It made her see red when he'd suggested it, but now, as she remembered it with her psycho emotions, the red turned deeper and deeper till it was almost black.

And then Buffy took a deep breath and worked very hard to reign those emotions back in. It was an exercise she'd devised. So far, it was working pretty good.

Buffy jumped when her phone rang with Willow's ringtone and grabbed it off the table in a lightning fast motion. Of course, she wasn't watching her strength and the phone crumbled to bits in her hand. "You have _got_ to be kidding me!"

"Everything ok?" Damon asked, walking in.

"I broke my phone." She showed him the broken bits.

"We'll order you a new one."

"You're being very nonchalant about everything."

"Buffy, you're new to this and losing my temper or getting annoyed isn't going to help anything. You do that well enough for the both of us even when your emotions _aren't_ heightened." He leaned down and kissed her gently. "I'm going to order you an awesome new phone."

"Thanks."

Damon could tell she was sulking. He slid into the chair next to her and turned to face her. "So…. Elena called again today. And so did Bonnie and Caroline. Alaric came by…."

"I was asleep."

"No you weren't. You were hiding." Buffy dropped the broken bits of phone onto the table and shot him an annoyed look. "You can't hide forever."

"I know that, but I don't want to accidentally hurt someone. You're not as fragile as Elena or Bonnie or Jeremy or Alaric. I can break your hand and you just bounce right back. They won't bounce right back. I'd probably break one of their backs just hugging them!"

"I still think that getting your emotions under a better control will solve your problems." Damon poked at the broken phone. "You get excited, things break."

"It's hard."

"I know." He took her hand and kissed her palm. "I know it is. Everything's heightened. But it gets easier."

"There's so much pressure…."

"Nobody's pressuring you."

"I am!"

"Why?"

"Klaus is out there. He's pissed off. And he can walk in the sun. But me…." Buffy stuck her hand out and recoiled when her hand started to burn.

"Bonnie will make you a ring."

"Bonnie is going to be pissed off and will probably walk out."

"I don't think she will. She owes you and Willow way too much. Just remind her of that little fact."

Buffy rolled her eyes at Damon. "Not everyone is as blasé about blackmail as you are." She sighed. "Oh, and let's not forget to mention that your brother has gone missing."

"I'm not worried about him."

"You should be."

"He got himself into this mess. He got _us_ into this mess. I'm not worried about him."

"Well, I am."

"Why?"

She sighed. "Even after everything he's done…. I still care about him. And I'm pretty sure you do too."

"He's my brother, but I'm mad at him, so I'm not going to worry about him."

"Your logic does not match the rest of the world's, does it?"

"Not at all." Damon smirked. "And neither does yours. A Vampire Slayer in love with a vampire."

Buffy laughed. "A vampire Vampire Slayer in love with a vampire. I think if the old Watcher's Council was still a thing, they'd send the old demons after me to destroy me."

"And they'd be stupid. You're doing everything you can to protect your family." Damon realized he'd said the wrong thing when he face fell and tears sprang to her eyes. "Buff…."

"I'm not doing everything I can. I'm sulking because I can't get my powers under control."

"Shh…." He stroked her cheek with his thumb. "Don't dwell on it. You'll get it down soon enough."

Buffy took a deep breath. "Sorry."

"It's ok." He leaned in and kissed her gently. "Let's go work on controlling your strength."

"How?"

"I fixed your training room." Damon smiled and held out his hand. She sighed and took it, allowing him to lead her upstairs.

* * *

_**A/N October 11th is almost here! I can't wait! There's a new clip out that I've already started working on. Oh, how I need the rest of the episode!**_


	7. Bonding

_**A/N Just a short, sweet little story between Buffy and Elena to hold you over for a few more days. I can't wait to start writing again in just TWO MORE DAYS! I thought this little story would be appropriate because I think Elena's and Buffy's mother/daughter relationship is going to get a lot stronger over the next season as they learn to be vampires together and deal with everything that gets thrown at them.**_

_**Enjoy!**_

* * *

Bonding

Buffy walked through the cemetery entrance and glanced around. The sun was going down and she'd decided to patrol. She'd had an itch for it, though the vampires she usually killed…. The ones with the bumpy foreheads and the serious attitude problems and the uncanny ability to know serious martial arts right from the grave…. Those vampires seemed to avoid Mystic Falls.

Damon had wanted to join her, but she'd asked him to stay home. She needed time to clear her head. After everything she'd learned about him and his brother and how they'd become vampires…. And the stress of going through Stefan's near suicide…. Her head was all jumbled. Not to mention that her feelings about Damon were still unclear. She liked him a lot, and he was a lot different than what she'd learned and believed about him…. But he'd still killed Lexi. He still killed people…. Though he hadn't seemed to have killed anyone in a while….

A noise from deeper in the cemetery drew her attention. There were no new graves, so this wasn't a baby vamp rising from the ground. Maybe an older vampire? She reached out with her senses and discovered there was nothing out there except…. A human? She rolled her eyes and went in search of the human.

To her surprise, it was Elena. She was sitting beside a grave with a lovely headstone that read _In Memory, Grayson Gilbert, Miranda Sommers Gilbert, May 23, 2009, Loving Parents_. Buffy smiled slightly. "I haven't seen you write in your journal in a long time." Elena gasped and dropped the notebook and her pen. "Sorry."

"You scared me!" Elena said.

"I got that."

Elena sighed and gathered her stuff. "How's Stefan?"

"He's Stefan. Last I saw, he was sitting in his room brooding."

"Where's Damon?"

"I made him stay home, though he's probably ignoring that and lurking nearby." Buffy sat down next to Elena and leaned back against her parents' headstone. "So, what are you writing?"

Elena sighed and glanced at her journal. "Everything. I'm just trying to catch up."

"And you're doing that in a graveyard at sundown?"

"I lost track of time." The teen's eyes widened and she looked around. "Are there vampires? Like…. The bad kind?"

"No. Just you and me."

"Oh. Good. So…. What are you doing out here?"

"Got antsy. I was hoping for at least a measly vampire, but they seem to avoid Mystic Falls." Buffy laid her head back against the cool stone of the headstone. "You're so lucky."

"Why?"

"You have somewhere to go to visit your parents." Elena looked at Buffy for a long moment until Buffy finally noticed. The blonde shrugged. "My mom's grave and headstone got eaten by the Hellmouth when it collapsed."

"You never put another one up?"  
"I was always on the move. This is the first time I've actually settled anywhere for longer than a few months."

Elena glanced at her parents' headstone. "I know you don't know them, but you're more than welcome to come here to talk to your mom."

Buffy smiled slightly. "Thanks." She shrugged. "I was never one for talking to a grave. Well…. Unless there was a freshly turned vampire about to rise."

"You don't talk to your mom?"

"No. It feels weird."

"Why?"

"Talking to thin air? People think I'm crazy already…. I don't want to give them a reason. I just like to sit and remember."

"Well, my offer still stands."

"Thank you."

Elena closed her journal. "Tell me about her?"

"My mom?" Elena nodded. "She was…. The perfect mom. I threw a lot of crap at her and she managed to find her way to stand at my side. No matter what."

"What were you like…. At my age?"

"Well, I was a Slayer. I had been for about three-ish years. You know about the whole thing with Angel…. That was all at seventeen."

"How did you do it?"

"What?"

"Survive all of that at such a young age. I'm barely coping with everything that gets thrown at me and it's nothing compared to some of the things you've mentioned and some of the things Stefan has told me."

Buffy shrugged. "I honestly don't know how I did it. Awesome friends?"

"Sometimes I feel that you're the only person that understands what I'm going through. I have amazing friends, but they…. They just don't know. They don't get it."

"Bonnie is very judgey. I can see where you wouldn't want to talk to her. Caroline is…. Caroline. Matt is jealous…."

"Matt's not jealous."

"Oh please! He gives you puppy dog eyes whenever he thinks no one's looking. He's still obviously in love with you." Elena blushed. "Don't worry. I've got expertise in that area, too."

"Who?"

"Xander. From the moment we first met, he had a thing for me. He even asked me to the spring formal and got really mad when I said no. Since then, no one I dated was good enough. Except Riley and that was…."

"Who's Riley?"

"My ex who was a normal, regular Joe. Except when he was being fed super drugs from his branch of the military."

"He was in the military?"

"Special supernatural branch. They took demons and vampires in and experimented on them. Spike wound up with a chip in his head that prevented him from harming humans." Buffy paused. "I've seriously never told you about Riley?"

"No. Did you love him?"

"I thought I did. But he really was just the rebound guy."

"So, I now know about Xander, Angel, Spike, and Riley. Anybody else?"

Buffy thought for a moment. "Parker. But that lasted for, like, two minutes and it was a huge mistake."

"What about Damon?"

Buffy tried to hide the little smile that tugged at the corners of her mouth. "Damon is…. Complicated."

"As much as I hate him, I think he really does like you."

"And as much as you fight it, I think you really do like him. Not in a romantic way, but…. In a friend way."

"He's so mean to people."

"It's his way keeping people at a distance so they don't realize what a nice guy he really is. Stefan said he was so different before Katherine came into their lives."

"Different?"

"Nicer. More open." Buffy looked around to make sure Damon wasn't around. "He told me that he was really close with their mother."  
"When?"

"During our dinner the other night. That was a whole different Damon I went to dinner with. He let down his walls."

Elena smiled. "You're happy."

Buffy shrugged. "Maybe. But I'm really _not _looking for a relationship right now."

"That's when the best ones come around."

Buffy eyed Elena for a moment, a smile cracking through. "Oh, what do you know? You're just a seventeen year old."

Elena smiled. "I'm really glad you came into my life."

"I'm really glad I did too." Buffy stood up and held her hand out to Elena. "Come on. Let's get you home. I don't want this to be the one night a random bumpy forehead comes along and you're the only human sitting in the cemetery to snack on."


	8. New Orleans

**New Orleans**

Buffy poured herself a drink at the drink trolley in the living room while Damon and Stefan sat on the couch talking. Angel was standing by the fireplace sipping on his own glass of bourbon. Elena was downstairs drying out still. Willow was visiting Xander in South Carolina. She'd left a couple of days after the prom and was supposed to be back before the end of the week.

"She's the calmest desiccating vampire I've ever seen." Damon said. "I remember when you starved me down there for three days. I would've wept at your feet for an orange peel."

"She's not gonna beg for blood." Stefan said. "Begging means desperation, emotion. She's still in no-humanity zone."

"How hungry does she have to be before we can torture some feelings back into her?"

"A lot hungrier than she is now, apparently."

"So what are we supposed to do in the meantime?"

"Maybe I can provide a little excitement." They all looked over to see Katherine walk into the room.

"Katherine." Stefan said.

"The one and only…. sort of. So, when's the 'Welcome Home' party?" Katherine walked over and tried to pour herself a drink, but Buffy grabbed her wrist and crushed the bones.

"I'm sorry, but you're not invited." Buffy growled. "Get out before I call Klaus."

"It doesn't matter if you do." Katherine said, shaking out her healing arm. "Klaus is gone."

"What do you mean he's gone?"

"Let's just say that werewolf girl, Hayley, turned out to be just the thing we needed to get Klaus out of our lives…. for good."

"Our lives?" Buffy grabbed Katherine by the hair and yanked her towards the door. "You're not a part of our lives, Katherine. You're not a part of anyone's life because you destroy them. Now get out of my house before I take your daylight bracelet and toss you out into this beautiful sunny day." She shoved Katherine towards the door. Katherine huffed and walked out, slamming the door behind her.

"You really don't like her." Damon said with a smirk.

"Not in the least." Buffy said.

"I still haven't figured out why you haven't just killed her yet."

"Because having no friends, no love, and no freedom is the worst possible thing to live with."

"I wonder if she was serious." Stefan said.

"About Klaus?" Damon asked.

"Yes."

"Only one way to find out." Buffy said. "Don't start the torture without me." She headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" Angel asked.

"To see if the rumors are true." She opened the door to find Elijah standing on the other side. "Elijah!"

"Hello, Buffy." Elijah said.

"What are you doing here?"

"I was hoping to speak with you." He glanced inside at Damon, Stefan, and Angel. "In private, preferably."

"Ok." Buffy stepped outside and shut the door behind her. "Let's move away from prying ears, shall we?" She led the way out towards the woods behind the gardens. It was far enough away that the other vampires inside couldn't hear them. "Is it true? Did Klaus leave?"

"For the moment."

"Where did he go?"

"New Orleans. Evidently there are witches conspiring against him."

"I'm guessing it's one of his special shut up and kill trips, then."

"Perceptive."

"Willow's told me about the witches there. They're not something to be messed with. Do you think they've found a way to kill him without the white oak stake?"

"I don't know. I was hoping you would assist me in finding out. I may be an Original, but you're Buffy Summers the Slayer. That name carries a lot more weight than mine."

"You want me to go to New Orleans?"

"Yes."

"What if I side with the witches?"

"Then I'm sure you'll have a good reason. I might help them as well if my mood fits the situation."

Buffy sighed. "Damon's not going to like this."

"I would imagine not."

* * *

After a long argument with Stefan, Damon, _and_ Angel and then a short flight from Richmond to New Orleans, Buffy now stood on a rooftop with Elijah. They were on top of a bar that Klaus just happened to be in. After asking around, they'd discovered the name of one of the witches involved in the plot against Klaus. She worked at the bar. Earlier that night, her sister had been killed by the vampire that supposedly ran New Orleans. Buffy was giving serious thought to putting an end to his reign.

Down in the alley, Sophie walked out the back exit, down a few stairs, and stopped at a small table covered with lit candles. Her cheeks were wet with tears from what Buffy could see. As she tended the candles, the door behind her suddenly swung shut with a bang and startled her. What she hadn't seen was the vampire that slammed it. Curious…. She didn't run inside. She was wary though. At least she was smart enough to keep a sharp eye.

Elijah looked at Buffy as two shadows started to converge on Sophie. She rolled her eyes at him and dropped down silently just as one of the vampires walked up behind Sophie.

"The doors work, you know." Sophie said.

"You're doing magic?" The vampire asked.

"I'm praying to my dead sister. Go ahead, pay your respects."

"Don't make this a thing, Sophie." The second vampire said. "The hybrid was looking for Jane-Anne. Marcel wants to know why."

"Oh, that sounds like witch business. I'd say ask her yourself, but I guess you can't, seeing as Marcel killed her." Sophie turned back to the first vampire just as the second one began to attack her from behind.

He suddenly found his heart missing, though. Buffy dropped it to the ground and looked at the other one. "Hi."

"Who the hell are you?" The vampire asked as his comrade dropped dead to the ground.

"You're telling me you don't know?" Buffy was suddenly standing in front of him. "Take a big whiff."

"Slayer!"

"Ding, ding, ding! And you must be a dead vampire." She grabbed his shirt and threw him against the wall above their heads where a wooden pole stood out.

"A little dramatic, don't you think?" Elijah asked, walking into the alleyway and glancing at the staked vampire.

Buffy shrugged. "You wanted the Slayer."

He smiled slightly and said, "This is true" before turning to Sophie. "I'm Elijah. You've heard of me?"

Sophie nodded fervently. "Yes."

"This is Buffy. She's…."

"The Queen of the Slayers."

Buffy cringed at that name. "God, I really thought I'd escaped that name. Seriously, you can just call me Buffy."

"Why are you here?"

Elijah walked forward a few steps to catch Sophie's attention. "So, why don't you tell us what business your family has with my brother?"

* * *

Buffy sat on the rooftop looking out over the skyline of New Orleans. Elijah stood next to her. Both of them were still completely stunned at the revelations that Sophie had heaped on them. Buffy's mind whirled with what everything meant. It wasn't the first time, really. But then again, this was a different case.

"Look at that skyline, huh?" A voice said as a vampire that had to be Marcel emerged onto the roof with Klaus. They obviously didn't notice Buffy or Elijah. "That there…. that's progress. More hotels, more tourists, more fresh blood. And the humans? I taught them to look the other way."

"And what of the witches?" Klaus asked. "In my time, they were a force to be reckoned with, and now they live in fear. How do you know when they're using magic?"

"Maybe I got a secret weapon…. an ace up my sleeve. Something that gives me complete control over all the magic in this town."

"Hm…. Is that a fact?"

"Might be. Maybe I'm just bluffing." Marcel put something in his mouth that sizzled slightly.

"You take vervain?"

"Burns like a bitch, but I figure I should limit the number of things I'm vulnerable to. Don't be mad about that chaperone thing. I've told my guys to look out for you, that's all. That's what we do here: look out for each other." Marcel spotted a woman walking down the street below. "Mm, m-m-mm. New blood."

"Bartender…. walking alone at night. She's either brave or dumb."

"Let's see: brave, I let her live; dumb, she's dessert." Marcel hopped the gallery's wrought-iron railing down onto the sidewalk below.

"I don't like him very much." Buffy said, moving out of the shadows towards Klaus.

Klaus turned, completely surprised to find her there. "What…." Then he saw Elijah. "Evening, Elijah."

"Niklaus." Elijah said.

"What an entirely unwelcome surprise on your part, but Buffy…." He moved closer. "You, I'm pleasantly surprised to see. You came down here for me?"

"I came down here because Elijah asked me to help him." Buffy said, stopping him with a hand. "Nothing more."

"I'll believe that when pigs fly."

"I'll call Willow and she can make it happen. Look, I don't want to argue or banter. There's something you need to see."

"I'm not going anywhere. Not till I find out who's conspiring against me."

"I believe we just found that out for you." Elijah said.

* * *

Klaus turned to look at Buffy and Elijah as they entered Lafayette Cemetery. "What are we doing here?"

"You wanted to know what the witches have in store for you? Follow us." Elijah said, taking the lead.

Klaus looked at Buffy. "Famous cemetery for a famous Slayer."

She smiled slightly. "Well, the only vampires here are the three of us. And sadly, this little Slayer has no plans to kill any of them." Elijah held open the door to one of the larger mausoleums. Klaus allowed Buffy to go first, but Elijah refused to enter until after Klaus had gone in.

Klaus spotted the witch. "Sophie Deveraux. What is this?"

"He's all yours." Buffy said.

Sophie nodded. "You know you're famous in this town?" She said to Klaus. "Witches tell bedtime stories about the powerful vampire Klaus. We know Marcel was nothing but an orphan street rat, until you made him what he is. And now he's out of control. He does what he wants, he kills who he wants. I'm gonna stop him, and you're gonna help me."

Klaus smiled, obviously amused. "This is why you brought me here?"

"Hear her out." Elijah said.

"I don't need to hear her out. I assure you, love, there is not a thing on this earth that will matter enough for me to waste even thirty more seconds of my time." He turned to Buffy. "What madness is this?"

Hayley entered the mausoleum surrounded by a few other witches. "Klaus…. You need to listen to them." Hayley said.

Klaus laughed. "You're all out of your minds if you think some liquor-fueled, one-night stand…. no offense, sweetheart…. means a thing to me."

"Marcel may be able to keep up from practicing real magic in this town, but as keepers of the balance we still know when nature has cooked up something new." Sophie said. "For example, I have a special gift…. of sensing when a girl is pregnant."

All amusement left Klaus's face. "What?"

"I know it's impossible…." Hayley said.  
"Actually, it's really not." Buffy said. "He's not the first vampire to procreate."

"What are you saying?" Klaus asked, looking at Buffy.

"She's…. Pregnant. With your child."

"No. It's impossible. Vampires cannot procreate."

Buffy rolled her eyes. "Are we forgetting about Angel and his son Connor!? Seriously! It's like I'm speaking in tongues." She shook her head. "Look, Klaus…. It's not just a vampire thing."

"Magic made you a vampire, but you were born a werewolf." Sophie said, picking up on Buffy's cue. "You're the Original hybrid, the first of your kind, and this pregnancy is one of nature's loopholes."

Klaus fought for control over his facial expression before he turned to Hayley and shouted at her. "You've been with someone else, admit it!"

"Hey, I've spent days held captive in a freaking alligator bayou because they think that I'm carrying some magical miracle baby." Hayley shouted back. "Don't you think I would've fessed up if it wasn't yours?"

"My sister gave her life to perform the spell she needed to confirm this pregnancy." Sophie said. "Because of Jane-Anne's sacrifice, the lives of this girl and her baby are now controlled by us." This was news to Buffy, Elijah, and Hayley. "If you don't help us take down Marcel, so help me, Hayley won't live long enough to see her first maternity dress."

"Wait, what?" Hayley said.

"Ok, enough!" Buffy said, letting a bit of her Slayer power leak out to shut everyone up. "If you want Marcel dead, then he's dead. As the Slayer, I'll do it myself."

"No. We can't." Sophie said. "Not yet. We have a clear plan that we need to follow, and there are rules."

Klaus, who had turned away, turned slowly to face Sophie. His was anger barely restrained and his voice was frighteningly quiet. "How dare you command me…. Threaten me…. With what you wrongfully perceive to be my weaknesses."

"Klaus…." Buffy started.

"I won't hear any more lies!" He shouted.

"It's not a lie!" Buffy yelled back, getting in his face. "Pull your head out of your ass for five minutes and just listen!"

"Who are you to talk to me…."

"Shut up and listen!" She yanked him towards Hayley. "Just…. Listen." Everyone was quiet so Klaus could hear the rapid little heartbeat coming from Hayley's abdomen. Klaus listened in wonderment for a few long moments before meeting Hayley's eyes. Then the window closed and he shut himself off again. "Kill her and the baby. What do I care?" Klaus stormed out of the mausoleum.

Buffy looked at Elijah. "Me or you?"

"Both." Elijah said. They followed Klaus to a deserted but well-lit street where he was stomping off. "Niklaus."

"It's a trick." Klaus said.

"No, brother. It's gift. It's your chance…. It's _our_ chance."

"To what?"

"To start over. Take back everything we lost, everything that was taken from us. Niklaus, our own parents came to despise us. Our family was ruined…. We were ruined. And since then, all that you have ever wanted…. All that _we_ have ever wanted was a family."

"I will not be manipulated."

Elijah looked at Buffy as Klaus turned away. Buffy sighed and blocked Klaus's path. "So they're manipulating you? So what? That's your child, Klaus. Let it live."

"I'm gonna kill every last one of them." Klaus tried to turn away, but Elijah was blocking him. He turned back to Buffy and she crossed her arms.

"And then what, huh?" Buffy asked. "You go back to Mystic Falls to pick up where you left off as the evil hybrid? The guy that is constantly trying to steal me away from Damon at every turn? The guy with no friends and no family?"

"I don't need friends."

"Then why are you so desperate to have me in your life?" Buffy moved closer to him. "Klaus, is it really that important to you that people shake in their boots at the sound of your name?"

"People shake in their boots because I have the power to make them afraid. What will this child offer me? Will it guarantee me power?"

"Family _is_ power, Niklaus." Elijah said. "Love, loyalty…. That's power. Why do you think Buffy is the longest living Slayer? She is loved and her friends and followers are loyal to her. _You're_ loyal to her. And that love and loyalty…. That is what we swore to one another a thousand years ago, before life tore away what little humanity you had left. Before ego, before anger, before paranoia created in this person before me someone I can barely even recognize as my own brother. This is _us_. The Original Family. And we remain together, always and forever. I am asking you to stay here. I will help you and I will stand by you. I will be your brother. We will build a home here together. So save this girl. Save your child."

"No." Klaus turned and walked off, leaving Elijah and Buffy standing in the street.

"You've seriously put up with that stubbornness for over a thousand years?" Buffy said to Elijah. "Someone should give you a sainthood or something."

Elijah chuckled. "Yes. I suppose."

"I'll go after him." She turned and headed off after Klaus. It took her a bit to find him. The smells of the city were kind of intense. Eventually she found him wandering around the French Quarter. She walked up to him and hugged him tightly. He was stunned at first, but after a moment, he hugged her back.

"What's this for?" Klaus asked.

"I get it." Buffy pulled away and took his hand. She led him over to a bench and sat down. "The being scared of taking this on. I get it."

"I'm not scared."

"It's ok if you are, Klaus. I was terrified of taking on Elena and Jeremy. And they weren't even mine."

"You don't even want kids of your own."

Buffy shrugged. "I wouldn't turn them down." He looked at her, surprised. "If Damon and I could have kids, I wouldn't turn them down. But we can't and I'm ok with that." She smiled. "I've got pain in the ass Elena to watch after for all eternity."

"She won't be a pain in the ass forever. You'll get her back." He looked around the Quarter. "I forgot how much I liked this town."

"It is nice here."

"For a thousand years, I lived in fear. Any time I settled anywhere, my father would hunt me down and…. chase me off. He made me feel powerless, and I hated it. This town was my home once, and in my absence, Marcel has gotten everything that I ever wanted. Power, loyalty, family. I made him in my image and he has bettered me. I want what he has. I want to be king."

"I don't think he bettered you, Klaus. I mean, he doesn't have the most powerful Slayer as his friend, does he?"

Klaus smiled. "No. That he doesn't."

"And he doesn't have a baby on the way to carry on his family name…."

He started to glare at her, but she was right. "I suppose every king needs an heir." Buffy smiled at him. "And every king needs a queen…."

"Klaus…." She started to protest, but he cut her off.

"You know, I'm sitting in one of my favorite places in the world. I'm surrounded by food, music, art, culture…. And all I can think about is how much I want to show it to you."

"Maybe one day I'll let you."

"Do you mean that?"

Buffy shrugged. "We'll see." On a whim, she leaned in and kissed him gently but quickly on the lips. "I've gotta go home and fix my kid. Keep in touch, Klaus." And she was gone in the blink of an eye.

* * *

Buffy opened the door to the cell in the basement and looked in on Elena. She was in bad shape. Her skin was gray and mottled. She was looking like she was starting to decompose. There was a part of her that wanted to spare Elena what was coming, but she needed to get the old Elena back.

"You look terrible." Buffy said.

"I'm hungry." Elena said. "Not that you care."

"Of course I care. That's the whole point. I care, you don't care. It's about time for that to change." Buffy held out a blood bag. Elena's eyes widened and she reached for it hungrily. She began to drink it, moaning with pleasure, but then tasted the unsavory extra Damon had added and began to spit up the blood.

"Vervain?"

"How does that make you feel? Hurt because I'd betray you? Angry because I'd cause you pain? Or scared, because you know it's gonna get a lot worse?" Elena used her vamp speed to try and leave, but Buffy was already in the doorway. "Did you think that was going to work?"

Elena shrugged. "You wanna play games? Go ahead. Let's see who breaks first. Me or you."

"Game on."


End file.
